Youths’ and Adults’ Identity in STEM: a Systematic Literature Review

Simpson, Amber; Bouhafa, Yahya

doi:10.1007/s41979-020-00034-y

Cited by 53 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 137 publications

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“…In the STEM literature, the science identity has been widely studied (Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020). The importance of scientific identity salience in shaping outcomes has been well-demonstrated in this literature.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

et al. 2020

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Background Mentorship has been well-established in the literature as fostering scientific identity and career pathways for underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Mentorship is prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEM fields, but in-depth understanding of mentorship in these contexts remains limited. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we sought to understand the relationship between mentoring and scientific identity among a diverse sample of 24 students in one such program, in order to inform program development. Results Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that mentorship, especially research mentorship, was common and played a role in formation of scientific identity. Students with research mentors tended to say they strongly identified as scientists, whereas those who lacked research mentorship varied in their level of scientific identity. In interviews, research-mentored students described mentors as colleagues who gave them opportunities to grow and as examples to look up to. Students valued mentors with whom they identified on the basis of demographic similarity or shared values, as well as those who challenged them in their academic and research endeavors. Conclusions Our analysis highlights how different mentoring experiences can contribute to development of future STEM leadership. We discuss implications for practice, including the need for tailored mentoring approaches and research-focused mentoring, and offer several recommendations for research and programming.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Verification of identity is also important (Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020;Stets et al, 2017). The verification process occurs in small groups of peers, through interactions with mentors, and through self-reflection (Riley & Burke, 1995).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

et al. 2020

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“…Namely, do elementary students develop a "STEM" identity whereby they come to see themselves as a "STEM person" or someone who does STEM? Research on STEM identity has increased over the past decade (Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020) and typically focuses on STEM identity interchangeably with science identity or examines STEM attitudes or interests, focusing on some or all of the individual components of STEM separately (Kier, Blanchard, Osborne, & Albert, 2014;Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020;Staus, Lesseig, Lamb, Falk, & Dierking, 2019;Tyler-Wood, Knezek, & Christensen, 2010). Some work examines attitudes toward STEM and STEM integration (Guzey et al, 2014), though few studies examine STEM identity as a singular construct (Appianing & Van Eck, 2018), with little work done at the elementary level (Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and validation of the role identity surveys in engineering (RIS-E) and STEM (RIS-STEM) for elementary students

2020

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Background: Despite the increasing number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs available, concern continues to grow over the low number of students who choose to study and enter STEM fields. Research suggests that children begin to identify their interests and career aspirations related to STEM as early as elementary school when they begin to shape their personal identities and start making decisions about who they are and could be in the future, their role identities (e.g., scientist, engineer). Existing surveys that assess identity target high school or post-secondary students, with less work on elementary and middle school students. This paper describes the development and validation of survey instruments to assess engineering identity in elementary students and its adaptation to a more general STEM context. Results: The role identity survey in engineering (RIS-E) was developed across four phases of pilot testing where it was administered to 634 students in third-sixth grade enrolled in classrooms in the West, Midwest, and Northeastern United States. Exploratory modeling approaches and scale reliability were used to narrow down items, while confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) approaches were used to examine item performance. The final survey contained four scales that assess aspects of one's identity (competence, interest, selfrecognition, and recognition by others), all of which demonstrated strong psychometric properties. The RISE was then adapted to assess STEM identity (RIS-STEM), and it was administered to 678 fourth-fifth grade students enrolled in classrooms in the Southwestern United States. CFA and IRT analyses provided support for use of the RIS-STEM in a more general STEM context. Conclusions: The RISE and RIS-STEM appear to produce reliable scores that measure aspects of identity (engineering and STEM) in elementary students. Suggestions are made for future studies to examine how the RISE and RIS-STEM function across diverse student populations and the impact on one's identity as a result of curricula or programs designed to encourage and support identity development in youth, especially in engineering and STEM.

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“…This is real and the stuff of young people's lived experience of technology and STEM futures. (Data memo notes) Identity has been of growing interest in STEM education research (Simpson & Bouhafa, 2020). Whether young people identify with science/STEM (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young people’s tech identity performances: why materiality matters

et al. 2020

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Background Identity provides a useful conceptual lens for understanding educational inequalities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In this paper, we examine how paying attention to physical and digital ‘materiality’ enriches our understanding of identity work, by going beyond the spoken, written and embodied dimensions of identity performances that currently dominate the area of STEM identity scholarship. We draw on a multimodal ethnographic study with 36 young people aged 11–14 carried out over the course of one year at four UK-based informal STEM learning settings. Data collection included a series of interviews, observations and youth-created portfolios focused on STEM experiences. Illustrative case studies of two young men who took part in a community-based digital arts centre are discussed in detail through the theoretical lenses of Judith Butler’s identity performativity and Karen Barad’s intra-action. Results We argue that physical and digital materiality mattered for the performances of ‘tech identity’ in that (i) the focus on the material changed our understanding of tech identity performances; (ii) digital spaces supported identity performances alongside, with and beyond physical bodies, and drew attention to new forms of identity recognition; (iii) identity performances across spaces were unpredictable and contained by the limits of material possibilities; and (iv) particular identity performances associated with technology were aligned with dominant enactments of masculinity and might thus be less accessible to some young people. Conclusion We conclude the paper by suggesting that accounting for materiality in STEM identity research not only guides researchers in going beyond what participants say and are observed doing (and thus engendering richer insights), but also offers more equitable ways of enacting research. Further, we argue that more needs to be done to support the translation of identity resources across spaces, such as between experiences within informal and online spaces, on the one hand, and formal education, on the other.

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Youths’ and Adults’ Identity in STEM: a Systematic Literature Review

Cited by 53 publications

References 137 publications

“Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

“Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

Development and validation of the role identity surveys in engineering (RIS-E) and STEM (RIS-STEM) for elementary students

Young people’s tech identity performances: why materiality matters

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