Female students face distinct challenges when pursuing an education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Those challenges are compounded when female students grow up in the rural American west. Through the framework of Critical Feminist Theory (CFT), this study looks to identify barriers for female students within STEM…

Both K-12 schools and STEM disciplines are embedded in White supremacy and exclusion, making it that much harder for Black women to maintain an interest and sense of belonging in STEM. Through a Critical Race Feminism methodology, we tell the counterstories of our two co-authors, two Black women, over the course of their lives. Through these…

Research Questions: While community college transfer (i.e., upward transfer) represents an important mechanism for advancing equity across STEM fields, existing studies of gender and women's participation within computer science have largely excluded the perspectives of upward transfer students. We address this gap in the literature by exploring…

The general aim of the study was to improve students' awareness of gender equality. An instructional design was developed in which mathematics, science, information technologies and software (ITS) courses were integrated, with the theme of gender equality at the center. The method of the study was determined as a case study. The participants of…

Despite the implementation of equality interventions within higher education, progress towards gender parity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains slow. Male educators often exhibit poorer engagement with diversity initiatives, potentially contributing to persisting gender disparities in STEM given men's longstanding…

This qualitative study explored a targeted recruitment initiative that was designed to attract and recruit female academic staff in STEM disciplines at an Australian University. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with female and male key informants: 16 Panel Members and six Applicants. Codebook Thematic Analysis was applied…

Nerd-genius stereotypes about people in the physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (pSTEM) are barriers to getting many adolescent girls interested in pSTEM. Endorsing these stereotypes may undermine youths' pSTEM identity especially when they are incongruent with their self-concepts--possibly more likely for girls than boys.…

It is often assumed that highlighting the contributions of female researchers to STEM fields may make those fields more attractive to women, thereby encouraging female participation. The present study (n = 802) aimed to test that assumption by investigating the impact of messages highlighting the contributions of women researchers to two STEM…

Gender stereotypes in the natural sciences may discourage girls from pursuing STEM fields, thus contributing to the differential STEM pathways of males and females. This paper exploits quasi-experimental data from a vignette study to investigate teachers' gender bias in STEM at the transition to upper secondary school in Denmark--a key stage in…

It is well established that female participation in STEM diminishes at all stages of the education pipeline. National policy in Ireland is focussed on initiatives to address the STEM gender gap from early years to the end of secondary school (age 18/19) education. However, strategy in higher education is limited, with gender equality policy…

Computational Thinking (CT) is crucial for the advancement of the STEM field, where there continues to be a lack of female representation. Teaching and learning (T/L) of CT should incorporate didactic strategies that aim to eliminate gender biases and integrate girls/women into this context. In response to the question, "What didactic…

Women are underrepresented in the STEM workforce. This is due to microaggressions, gender biases, preconceived assumptions about their abilities, a lack of mentorship, and limited opportunities for advancement. While women are underrepresented as a whole, the deficit is even larger when it comes to Latinas, who only make up a fraction of the…

The current study explores differences in messages that preschool teachers send girls and boys about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Video footage of a preschool classroom (16 hr; N = 6 teachers; 20 children) was transcribed. Teachers' questions were coded for question-type and whether the question was directed to a boy or a…

As more women enter engineering, the climate of engineering teams must be improved to ensure that women feel included and inspired to design innovative solutions. Prior research suggests that women in STEM often report lower levels of self-efficacy, which could limit their engagement in collaborative design tasks. Unfortunately, little research…

In times of shortages in STEM professions, the untapped potential of girls with a STEM talent is a waste on a personal, social and economic level. Childhood is believed to be a very important formative stage in which children develop an early interest in specific occupations and teachers can have an important influence by developing lessons in…