– Role model exposure had positive effects on both STEM and non-STEM students’ interest in STEM as well as their perceived identity compatibility between the self and STEM.
– When students read about a diverse set of successful STEM professionals who attained their success through hard work, they reported higher interest in STEM and greater perceived identity compatibility between self and STEM.
– Role model exposure had a positive impact on academic sense of belonging among STEM and non-STEM students, and a positive impact on academic self-efficacy among STEM students, but not non-STEM students.
– Although exposure to STEM role models had a positive effect on academic sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy, role model exposure did not have a significant effect on academic expectations or educational degree intention.
– Reading about successful STEM role models who were mostly women increased women’s perceived fit between being a woman and being in STEM.
– Unexpectedly and importantly, men’s perceived identity compatibility between gender and STEM also increased. One possible explanation is that some of the biographies in the present study discussed how STEM fields are often perceived as traditionally male-dominant fields, and some of the role models were male, which may have strengthened men’s perceived fit between being a man and being in STEM. This finding is important because it suggests that exposure to role models who were
mostly female did not have a negative effect on men.
– Also unexpectedly, role model exposure increased men’s perceived identity compatibility between gender and non-STEM.
2016 - Effects of role model exposure on STEM and non-STEM student engagement
A total of 1035 participants (66.0% women, 31.3% men) at a racially/ethnically diverse mid-sized state university were recruited across three semesters. Participants’ field of study varied greatly, with 27.2% in STEM disciplines (e.g., biology, engineering, computer science, mathematics), and 70.0% in non-STEM disciplines (e.g., psychology, English).
Participants were invited to participate in an online study examining college students’ beliefs, expectations, and attitudes toward their future career paths in exchange for research credit, and were randomly assigned to either a role model (n= 509) or a control condition (n= 526). Participants in both conditions completed pretest and immediate posttest measures that included a measure of STEM interest, non-STEM interest, academic sense of belonging, gender sense of belonging, and mood, and additional post-test measures such as self/STEM perceived identity compatibility, academic self-efficacy, academic expectations, educational degree intention, gender/STEM perceived identity compatibility, gender/non-STEM perceived identity compatibility, math-gender stereotype endorsement, gender-based rejection sensitivity, gender sense of belonging, Protestant work ethic,
impostorism, and ingroup bias. Participants in the role model condition additionally completed a recall test and manipulation check measures.
Participants in the role model condition were instructed to read 6 biographies (European American female engineer, African American female biology professor, African American male surgeon, Asian female computer scientist, Latino male data analyst, Latina female physicist) and were instructed to read for content and journalistic style as a cover story. Biographies were created to challenge the common stereotypes about STEM that are known to be related to recruitment and retention issues (i.e., stereotype that people in successful STEM careers are gifted individuals who do not need to work hard or overcome obstacles and stereotype that people in successful STEM careers are European American males. These biographies were also created to be inspiring, relevant, and similar to the participants, which are essential characteristics of effective role models. Consistent with past research, participants in the control condition only completed the study measures and did not receive any reading material.