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）和特定的挑战主题，12-OD-105：确定克服STEM学习中的公平问题的做法。尽管在过去30年中取得了进展，但妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学领域的代表性仍然不足。与许多解释，专注于生物或社会化因素，为什么妇女在干领域的代表性不足，刻板印象威胁的概念，广义上定义为确认一个人的群体的负面刻板印象的关注，是了解如何情境因素导致妇女都执行低于其潜力的干任务，并报告在干职业兴趣下降的途径。拟议的研究计划使用刻板印象威胁理论的最新进展，包括多个，定性不同的刻板印象威胁的框架，评估和测试自我肯定作为刻板印象威胁干预。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，对个人表现的关注反映了个人的能力）。相比之下，群体作为目标的刻板印象威胁（即，对一个人的表现反映妇女能力的关切）可能需要集体肯定。从理论上讲，这些研究将推进刻板印象威胁理论，特别是在干预方面。务实，拟议的研究将告知干预的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，独特的刻板印象威胁的实用性，以设计，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，以支持招聘，保留，重新进入和提高妇女在STEM职业生涯中的地位。 公共卫生相关性：刻板印象威胁--广义上定义为对确认一个人所在群体的负面刻板印象的关注--确定了情境因素（例如，妇女在工作场所所占的比例）导致妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学领域的表现不佳和代表性不足，此外还增加了妇女遭受负面健康后果的可能性，如普遍焦虑、血压和沮丧感增加。拟议项目的成功完成将为制定旨在消除性别/性别差异的有效干预方案提供重要证据;促进妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学领域的职业生涯;并提高妇女的总体健康和福祉。

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.