This research focuses on the experiences of six undergraduate white women who are physics and astronomy majors. Specifically we conducted semistructured, empathetic interviews that reveal how uncomfortable physics environments inside and outside of the classroom, which were often propagated by male instructors and peers, excluded undergraduate…

Although many studies have examined gender and racial discrepancies in STEM participation, few have considered variation in the gendered construction of STEM across racial spaces. We applied a cultural psychological perspective to investigate whether variation in conceptions of gender identity across African American and European American settings…

A questionnaire administered to 1979 incoming freshmen at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was used to assess the effects of educational maturity on college choice. Educational maturity is defined by the student's certainty about college major and career choice. Results show that strength of the major department is the most frequent…