Ingroup role models and underrepresented students’ performance and interest in STEM: A meta-analysis of lab and field studies

Lawner, Elizabeth K.; Quinn, Diane M.; Camacho, Gabriel; Johnson, Blair T.; Pan-Weisz, Bradley

doi:10.1007/s11218-019-09518-1

Cited by 31 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Providing group members with evidence—in the form of role models—that members of their group can succeed and benefit from education can dampen the experience of social identity threat and weaken perceptions of identity incompatibility. Indeed, one study with female psychology students who were interested in pursuing medical studies (Rosenthal et al., 2013) found that presenting brief biographies of five successful and diverse female physicians increased students’ identity compatibility, belonging, and their interest in pursuing a medical career, and a meta‐analysis of 45 studies found an overall positive effect of in‐group role models on the performance and interest in STEM subjects of members of groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields (Lawner, Quinn, Camacho, Johnson, & Pan‐Weisz, 2019).…”

Section: The Identities In Context Model: Linking Contextual Variatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions

Easterbrook

Hadden

2020

Social Issues Policy Review

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Some groups of students-typically those who have suffered because of historical inequality in society-disproportionately experience psychological barriers to educational success. These psychological barriers-feelings of threat to their social identity and the sense that their identity is incompatible with educational success-make substantial contributions to inequalities in educational outcomes between groups, even beyond economic, historical, and structural inequalities. A range of wise psychological interventions can help remove these barriers by targeting students' subjective interpretation of their local educational context. In this review, we outline the Identities in Context model of educational inequalities, which proposes that interactions between students' social identities and features of the local educational context-expectations about a group's academic performance, a group's representation in positions associated with academic success, and a group's orientation towards education-can trigger social identity threat and identity incompatibility in ways that vary considerably across contexts. We present an implementation process, based on the Identities in Context model, that academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners can follow to help them choose and tailor wise interventions that are effective in reducing educational inequalities in their local context. Throughout the review, we make policy recommendations regarding how educational practices can be altered to help remove psychological barriers for underperforming groups of students and so reduce educational inequalities. Some groups of students-such as some ethnic minorities or those from lower class backgrounds-on average achieve much lower academic grades and

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Section: The Identities In Context Model: Linking Contextual Variatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions

Easterbrook

Hadden

2020

Social Issues Policy Review

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“…In a large diverse sample of middle and high school students (including 55% girls, 65% URM, and 53% low-income students whose parents did not completed college) taking part in a 7-week STEM summer program in San Antonio, Texas, students who reported knowing more STEM professionals after attending the summer program had increased interest of pursuing a career in STEM fields (Brewington et al, 2019; Saw et al, 2019). In a recent meta-analysis, connecting or exposing students (from middle school to college level) to STEM professionals who share the same social identity in terms of sex and race/ethnicity (called ingroup role model ) has a positive effect on performance and interest of female and URM students (Lawner et al, in press). This particularly held for programs conducted in field settings with longer contact hours, as opposed to brief contacts in laboratory settings (Lawner et al, in press).…”

Section: Social Capital Benefits Stem Education: Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent meta-analysis, connecting or exposing students (from middle school to college level) to STEM professionals who share the same social identity in terms of sex and race/ethnicity (called ingroup role model ) has a positive effect on performance and interest of female and URM students (Lawner et al, in press). This particularly held for programs conducted in field settings with longer contact hours, as opposed to brief contacts in laboratory settings (Lawner et al, in press).…”

Section: Social Capital Benefits Stem Education: Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Social Capital to Broaden Participation in STEM

Saw

2020

Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences

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Broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is critical to the nation’s economic growth and national security. In K–12 and higher education, researchers and educators increasingly employ the concept of social capital to develop programs for improving STEM learning, motivation, and participation of young students. STEM social capital in education comprises STEM-oriented resources—whether instrumental, informational, or emotional—that students access through their social networks. Major theoretical perspectives, research evidence, and promising practices are associated with the concepts of social capital in STEM education. Students’ social capital in STEM education (derived from families, peers, teachers, and professional networks) demonstrably promotes their STEM educational outcomes and career paths. Inclusive STEM schools, mentoring, and after-school programs are some promising approaches that can enhance STEM social capital and outcomes of underrepresented students, particularly women, Blacks/Hispanics/Native Americans, youth with low socioeconomic status, and persons with disabilities.

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“…The career path decisions of students are influenced by a variety of factors (13). Chief among these factors are personal interest and academic ability, self-confidence (14) and importantly, for women or those from underrepresented groups, the availability of appropriate role models (15–17). Although conscious factors such as personal interest and academic ability contribute to student choices, learning experiences can subconsciously influence student perceptions of academic fields and subsequent career choices.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of the Curricular Shadows: Revolutionizing Undergraduate Immunology Education

2019

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Immunology has its developmental roots in understanding protection of the host from pathogens, leading to the development of vaccines and subsequently identification of soluble and cellular components of the immune system. Thus, immunology education has historically been tightly linked to infectious disease. Decades of research have demonstrated that the complexity and intricacies of the immune system are far greater than perhaps was once imagined. As a system that interfaces with all other organ systems in the body, it plays a key role in both maintaining health and causing life-threatening disease, thereby solidifying its importance in several clinical specialties beyond protective immunity. In the past decade, tremendous advances have taken place in which scientists and physicians have begun to harness the power of the immune system to create immunotherapies to fight cancer, inflammatory syndromes and autoimmune diseases. Thus, the argument can be made that training individuals in the field of immunology is becoming increasingly important. However, immunology is a highly conceptual discipline and understanding how the multiple cellular and soluble components of the immune system work in concert requires knowledge in a number of disciplines, including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry. Time is needed for students to process, evaluate, and apply this information in meaningful ways. Concomitantly, knowledge in the field of immunology is expanding rapidly, bolstering the need for increased time in the curriculum to facilitate the ability of educators to convey information so that it can be effectively understood and applied. We propose that it is time for a renaissance in immunology education at the undergraduate level to better prepare individuals who will subsequently pursue careers in medicine, related health professions, and research. The purpose of this article is to discuss the current state of undergraduate immunology education with respect to its prevalence and how this compares to other biological disciplines, the need to develop robust immunology curricula at the undergraduate level and the importance of such programs in preparing students for pursuing postgraduate training in the health professions, and research-intensive careers.

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Ingroup role models and underrepresented students’ performance and interest in STEM: A meta-analysis of lab and field studies

Cited by 31 publications

References 18 publications

Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions

Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions

Leveraging Social Capital to Broaden Participation in STEM

Out of the Curricular Shadows: Revolutionizing Undergraduate Immunology Education

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