Reducing Barriers to Gender Equity in STEM Fields by Reducing Stereotype Threats

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请涉及广泛的挑战领域（12）科学，技术，工程和数学教育（STEM）和具体的挑战主题，12- od -105：确定克服STEM学习中公平问题的实践。尽管在过去的30年里取得了进步，但女性在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的代表性仍然不足。与许多关注女性在STEM领域代表性不足的生物学或社会化因素的解释相反，刻板印象威胁的概念——广泛定义为对确认对一个群体的负面刻板印象的关注——是理解情境因素如何导致女性在STEM任务中表现低于其潜力并报告对STEM职业兴趣下降的途径。本研究利用刻板印象威胁理论的最新进展，包括一个多重、定性不同的刻板印象威胁框架，来评估和测试自我肯定作为刻板印象威胁干预的效果。虽然自我肯定已被证明可以减少刻板印象威胁的负面影响，但这可能只适用于以自我为威胁焦点的刻板印象威胁（即，对自己表现的关注反映了自己的个人能力）。相比之下，以群体为目标的刻板印象威胁（即，担心一个人的表现反映出女性的能力）可能需要群体肯定。从理论上讲，这些研究将促进刻板印象威胁理论的发展，特别是在干预方面。在实际应用中，本研究将告知干预主义者一些刻板印象威胁干预的有限范围。更重要的是，它将展示考虑多种不同的刻板印象威胁在设计、开发和实施强有力的、理论驱动的刻板印象威胁减少干预措施方面的作用，以支持STEM职业中女性的招聘、保留、再入和发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application addresses broad Challenge Area (12) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM) and specific Challenge Topic, 12-OD-105: Identification of practices that overcome equity issues in STEM learning. Although there has been progress over the past 30 years, women are still under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. In contrast to many explanations that focus on biological or socialization factors for why women are under-represented in STEM fields, the concept of stereotype threat-defined broadly as a concern about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group-is an avenue for understanding how situational factors cause women both to perform below their potential on STEM tasks and report a decreased interest in STEM careers. The proposed program of research uses recent advances in stereotype threat theory, including a framework of multiple, qualitatively distinct stereotype threats, to evaluate and test self-affirmation as a stereotype threat intervention. Although self-affirmation has been shown to reduce the negative effects of stereotype threat, this may only be true for stereotype threats with the self as the focus of the threat (i.e., concerns about one's performance reflecting on one's own personal abilities). In contrast, group-as-target stereotype threats (i.e., concerns about one's performance reflecting on women's abilities) may require group-affirmations. Theoretically, the proposed studies will advance stereotype threat theory, in particular in terms of intervention. Pragmatically, the proposed studies will inform interventionists of the limited scope of some stereotype threat interventions. More importantly, it will demonstrate the utility of considering multiple, distinct, stereotype threats for designing, developing, and implementing strong, theoretically-driven stereotype threat-reducing interventions to support recruitment, retention, re-entry, and advancement of women in STEM careers. Public Health Relevance: Stereotype threat-defined broadly as a concern about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group- identifies how situational factors (e.g., proportion of women in one's workplace) lead to under-performance and under-representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, in addition to increasing the likelihood that women will suffer negative health consequences such as increased general anxiety, blood pressure, and feelings of dejection. The successful completion of the proposed project will provide important evidence for the development of effective intervention programs designed to eliminate sex/gender disparities; promote the careers of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields; and increase the general health and well-being of women.