This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how nineteen Latina college students described their unique challenges as Hispanic women and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students while attending a STEM program at three Hispanic Serving Institutions in southern California. Women, particularly Latinas, remain vastly…

To explore the role of teachers' biases in the underrepresentation of minorities and women in STEM, 128 secondary science teachers were asked to evaluate responses spoken with either falling or rising intonation by African American, Latino, and White ninth-grade boys and girls. Responses spoken by minority students were evaluated less favorably…

Many barriers have prevented women from advancing in academic STEM careers, especially women of color. Few studies have focused on the career paths of Latina STEM scholars and challenges they face as both women and as members of an ethnic minority group. We are investigating the career paths of former Latina UC President Postdoctoral fellows in…

The United States Science, Technology, and Engineering and Math (STEM) workforce is vital to this country's economic development interests, and its ability to compete effectively in the global market. One of the greatest challenges facing that industry in the US is the current and projected shortage of engineers serving the STEM industry.…

The gender wage gap in the United States is a well-documented social and economic phenomenon. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 has done little to bring parity between men's and women's wages. Existing data show a relationship between race, age, geography, immigration, education, and women's pay status. This study analyzes wage disparity within higher…

Scientific thinking and understanding are essential for all people navigating the world, not just for scientists and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals. Knowledge of science and the practice of scientific thinking are essential components of a fully functioning democracy. Science is also crucial for the…

The intent of this qualitative study was to better understand factors, which impacted Latin women's development of resilience and how they continued their education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The participants were enrolled in Ph.D. programs at 5 of the 10 University of California campuses currently designated as…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the impact a robotics curriculum might have on the experiences and perceptions of middle school girls in two California classrooms. The research found that middle school girls in two different California classrooms felt that their experiences with robotics were personalized experiences…

Drawing on data from a study of learning, race, and equity in an urban high school organized around specialized learning academies, we examine the ways in which the design, framing, construction, and organization of learning spaces deeply influences the types of access to rigorous learning that students experience. We draw on the notion of…

During the 2014 White House Science Fair, President Barack Obama used a sports metaphor to explain why we must address the shortage of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), particularly in the engineering and computing fields: "Half our team, we're not even putting on the field. We've got to change those…

During the 2014 White House Science Fair, President Barack Obama used a sports metaphor to explain why we must address the shortage of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), particularly in the engineering and computing fields: "Half our team, we're not even putting on the field. We've got to change those…

Despite the proliferation of women in higher education and the workforce, they have yet to achieve parity with men in many of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors and careers. The gap is even greater in the representation of women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This study examined pre-college intervention strategies…