Talking about science interests: the importance of social recognition when students talk about their interests in STEM

Facilitating marginalized youths' identification with STEM through everyday science talk: The critical role of parental caregivers

“…Using nationally representative data collected from individuals who had obtained or were pursuing doctoral degrees (N = 4285) in physical science, Dabney et al (2013) found that doctoral students who reported having family interested in science were more likely to develop their personal interest sooner, and much of this personal interest did not emanate from school science but rather hobbies and family encouragement. Jackson et al (2019) observed that the social recognition first-year college students received from significant others (e.g., family, friends) regarding their interest in science strongly influenced their persistence in science in the face of obstacles, particularly for students whose self-perception in science was the most tenuous, for instance, due to cultural incongruity in school systems (Martin et al, 2013;Prewitt et al, 2007). In a critical ethnographic case study, Tan et al (2013) compared the science identities narrated by non-White middle-school girls in specific figured worlds (i.e., formal learning spaces, informal learning institutions, the home).…”

“…Youths' level and quality of participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), whether in the broad STEM enterprise and/or in disciplinary domains, is largely dependent on their self-perception or identity (e.g., seeing oneself as a "physics person", Dou et al, 2019;Hazari et al, 2010;Kim et al, 2018). This self-perception is significantly influenced by social interactions in which an individual is (or is not) acknowledged as a STEM person by meaningful others (Archer et al, 2012;Carlone & Johnson, 2007;Gee, 2000;Jackson et al, 2019;Rodriguez et al, 2019;Vincent-Ruz & Schunn, 2018). One consequence of the power of these recognition events is the internalization of a dominant "Discourse" (Gee, 2000) of who is or can become a "STEM person" as reflected in verbal exchanges, educational materials, behavioral expectations (e.g., using scientific jargon), and working professionals visible in these spaces (Dawson et al, 2020).…”

Social influences of interest: Conceptualizing group differences in education through a self-regulation of motivation model

“…These processes may be amplified for some students and may contribute to group differences in educational outcomes. Recent findings from a longitudinal survey study of freshmen in college science majors support this notion (Jackson, Leal, Thoman, & Zambrano, 2019). For women, but not men, feeling encouraged and understood when talking about science interests (i.e., listeners were responsive and encouraging) predicted science career interest one semester later, over and above their initial science career interest.…”

Exploratory study on didactic aspects used in scientific-technical (STEM) dissemination conferences for students of secondary education

“…The increasing reluctance of students to engage in science subjects in their final years of secondary education has important implications for both the continuity of scientific work and the scientific literacy of future generations (Trumper, 2006). This situation raises concerns, as educational programmes focused on motivating students to pursue STEM-related careers at university seem insufficient (Fuesting, Diekman & Hudiburgh, 2017), making it impossible to meet national demands for professionals in these fields (Jackson, Leal, Zambrano & Thoman, 2019). In addition to not being able to meet the needs of the labour market, basic knowledge in STEM is necessary for anyone to be able to cope with a number of indispensable operations in the social and economic spheres of everyday life (Pisano, Franckowiak & Anakkar, 2017).…”

“…Conferences given by STEM professionals provide indirect learning experiences for students by providing opportunities to observe the practice and performance of STEM professionals in their work (Rittmayer & Beier, 2009). They seek to foster conversations between students about scientific and technical topics that can increase their interest in a future career in science (Jackson et al, 2019). Scientists regularly disseminate their findings at conferences through lectures, but the value of this experience for students in pre-university education is not exactly known (Broder et al, 2019).…”