Effects of Gender and Ethnicity on STEM Self-Competencies in Classroom Interactions

Authors

Baudelio Abrica, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

Spring 5-16-2020

Document Type

Poster

Citation

Abrica, Baudelio. (2020, May). Effects of Gender and Ethnicity on STEM Self-Competencies in Classroom Interactions. Poster submission. Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience at Nebraska (UCARE), University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Comments

Copyright 2020 Baudelio Abrica

Abstract

Well established is a connection between gender stereotypes and children’s STEM perceptions. STEM self-concept, for example, is consistently identified as stronger for boys than girls (Cvencek et. et al 2011). While research has documented differences in STEM self-competencies between adolescent boys and girls (Miller et. al 2018), there remains much to be learned about the classroom conditions that may explain how children understand stereotypes and act on that understanding in their interactions with other children. This research examined how informal classroom activities reveal both racial and gendered stereotypical preference patterns and how those patterns relate to students’ self-competencies. Moving beyond documenting a link between gender and math self-competencies, this research importantly connected informal classroom activity as well as race and gender stereotypes to STEM self-competency among school-age children.