Collaborative Research : Improving the teaching of genetics in high school to avoid instilling misconceptions about gender differences

最近的研究表明，在高中生物学期间学习遗传学可能会导致一种信念，即男性和女性基因和大脑的固有差异是行为和智力能力性别差异的主要原因（这种信念被称为神经遗传本质主义）。这一信念降低了女孩对自己STEM能力的认识，降低了她们在STEM课程中的归属感，降低了她们在STEM领域继续接受教育的兴趣。该项目由生物科学课程研究、德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校和纽约大学的一组研究人员领导，其目标是回答有关如何以科学准确的方式在高中水平教授遗传学的重要问题，但没有这些有害的副作用。具体来说，这一新的实验研究将确定并修改普通遗传学教学中促进神经遗传本质论信念的内容。拟议的实验还将探讨如何同伴和教师的信念有助于改变这种信念的学生。这项工作对如何在高中生物教育中解决男女差异问题具有进一步的影响。此外，研究结果将推进有关导致STEM态度和愿望性别差异的因素的理论。该项目由EHR核心研究（ECR）计划资助，该计划支持推进STEM学习基础研究文献的工作，并由Discovery Research PreK-12（DRK 12）计划共同资助。在初步证据的基础上，该项目旨在实现四个关键目标。首先，该项目将研究遗传学教学的哪些具体方面会影响学生对神经发生本质论的信念。其次，该项目将确定这些影响发生的认知机制。第三，该项目将揭示修订后的遗传学教学材料对与STEM追求相关的广泛动机变量的下游影响，例如内隐人理论，STEM的归属感以及对该领域的兴趣。第四，该项目将探讨背景因素（例如，教师和同伴的信念），可以调节或调解学生如何回应教学材料。该研究小组将开发和迭代完善遗传学教育材料，教授性别内和性别间的遗传，神经和行为变化，以及这些差异的社会原因。然后，研究小组将通过两个大规模的随机对照试验来测试这些修订后的材料的有效性，一个直接针对学生，另一个针对学生通过他们的老师学习。该项目的成果将产生有关认知、社会学和教育因素的可推广知识，这些因素会导致STEM性别差异。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Recent research suggests that learning about genetics during high school biology can lead to a belief that inherent differences in the genes and brains of men and women are the main causes of gender differences in behavior and intellectual abilities (a belief known as neurogenetic essentialism). This belief is implicated in lowering girls’ sense of their own STEM abilities, their feelings of belonging in STEM classes, and their interest in pursuing further education in STEM fields. The goal of this project, led by a team of researchers at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, the University of Texas, Austin, and New York University is to answer important questions about how to teach genetics at the high school level in a manner that is scientifically accurate, but does not have these detrimental side effects. Specifically, this new line of experimental research will identify—and revise—the content in common genetics instruction that promotes the belief in neurogenetic essentialism. The proposed experiments will also explore how the beliefs of peers and teachers contribute to changes in such beliefs in students. This work has further implications for how the topic of differences between men and women is addressed during high school biology education. Furthermore, the research findings will advance theory on factors that contribute to gender disparities in STEM attitudes and aspirations. The project is funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances the fundamental research literature on STEM learning, with co-funding by the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK12) program. Building on preliminary evidence, this project aims to accomplish four key goals. First, the project will study which specific aspects of genetics instruction affect students’ beliefs in neurogenetic essentialism. Second, the project will identify the cognitive mechanisms through which these effects occur. Third, the project will uncover the downstream effects of revised genetics instructional materials on a broad range of motivational variables relevant to STEM pursuit, such as implicit person theories, sense of belonging in STEM, and interest in this domain. Fourth, the project will explore the contextual factors (e.g., teacher and peer beliefs) that may moderate or mediate how students respond to the instructional materials. The research team will develop and iteratively refine genetics educational materialsthat teach about genetic, neurological, and behavioral variation within and between sexes, as well as the social causes of such differences. The research team will then test the effectiveness of these revised materials through two large-scale randomized control trials, one targeting students directly and one targeting students’ learning via their teachers. The results of this project will produce generalizable knowledge regarding the cognitive, sociological, and educational factors that contribute to STEM gender disparities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.