The effects of social media on STEM identity in adolescent girls

Abstract

Social media is widely used and easily accessible for adolescents, it has the potential to increase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) identity in girls. We aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to counter-stereotypical portrayals of women in STEM on social media on the STEM identity of adolescent girls. The study involved 20 high school girls, randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The participants completed pretest and posttest surveys to measure their STEM identity, including STEM interest and self-efficacy. The results did not support the hypothesis that exposure to counter-stereotypical portrayals of women in STEM on social media would increase STEM identity in adolescent girls. There was no statistically significant difference in STEM identity scores between the experimental and control groups. Similarly, there was no significant change in STEM interest or self-efficacy for both groups. Additional data analysis revealed that the participants who had aspirations for a career outside of STEM experienced a significantly higher increase in STEM identity than those who aspired to have a STEM career. The study concluded that social media alone may not be an effective tool to increase STEM identity in girls. It is worth exploring other, potentially more impactful solutions to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Social media can still be used as a complementary tool to support and encourage women in STEM, but it should not be relied upon solely to address the gender disparity in STEM fields.