Titles & Abstracts

Fostering Young Women’s Engagement and Retention in STEM: The Role of Gender-Sensitive Role Models - Prof. Dr. Elena Makarova

Persistent gender stereotypes and the lack of gender-sensitive role models contribute significantly to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. This talk explores the role of gender-sensitive role models in shaping career choices and promoting gender equity in education. First, it examines the gender representation in school textbooks and career guidance materials, highlighting the challenges teachers face in implementing gender-sensitive career education. Second, it introduces a newly developed digital toolbox designed to support educators in integrating gender-sensitive STEM role models into classroom practice. Finally, the talk discusses how inclusive learning environments can strengthen girls’ STEM identity and motivation to pursue careers free from gender-based limitations.

The Cost of Genius Myths: How Beliefs About Intelligence Perpetuate Inequities in Education and Careers - Prof. Dr. Andrei Cimpian

I argue that the segregation and inequities observed worldwide in many fields of study (and subsequent careers) can be explained in part by the combination of two "genius myths." The first myth concerns what's required for success: Some fields more than others embrace the belief that exceptional intellectual talent, above all else, is the key to success. The second myth concerns who possesses such talent: Pervasive cultural stereotypes associate genius and brilliance primarily with (White) men.

Together, these myths (a) often lead women and marginalized racial/ethnic groups to opt out of educational and career paths that emphasize genius (including many science and technology fields), and (b) foster environments in genius-oriented fields that are unwelcoming to people with these identities. This argument is supported by observational and experimental evidence from a wide range of fields, countries, and career stages, as well as by developmental data that reveal these genius myths take hold in childhood.

Successful interventions to raise young people's interest in STEM fields - Prof. Dr. Milagros Sáinz Ibáñez

The underrepresentation of young people and particularly women in some STEM fields (engineering, computer science or physics) has inspired various intervention programs and research intended to boost their interest in these areas. Drawing on the results of a recent scoping review (Sáinz et al., 2022), the purpose of this talk is to focus on the characteristics and effectiveness of various interventions aiming at encouraging secondary students’ interest in STEM, particularly female students. Through a systematic search of the literature in five databases and additional search strategies, 215 studies evaluating interventions in different disciplinary fields were identified. Data extraction and synthesis of these studies focused on the methodologies and theoretical approaches used in the different studies. Twenty-five exemplars were therefore selected as best practices in designing and evaluating interventions that address young people's lack of interest in STEM. These interventions attempted to modify and/or manipulate multiple environmental and school-level factors to shape students' personal factors associated with STEM interest, such as achievement, self-perception of STEM ability, or the value attached to STEM subject areas. 

What explains the persistent underrepresentation of women in computer science and engineering? - Prof. Dr. Sapna Cheryan

Women and girls continue to be underrepresented in computer science and engineering, despite many efforts by universities, nonprofits, corporations, and government to close these gender gaps (National Science Foundation, 2020). Some have argued that the explanation for women’s and girls' lower participation is their lower interest in these fields. I argue that the explanation that women and girls are “less interested” in these fields is incomplete and problematic. First, I provide empirical evidence on how stereotyping women and girls as “less interested” contributes to further inequities in these fields. Second, I describe how the perceived and actual cultures of computer science and engineering contribute to women’s and girls’ lower participation. These inequitable cultures include masculine defaults, a form of bias in which characteristics or behaviors associated with the male gender role are valued, rewarded, or regarded as standard aspects of a culture. Increasing girls’ and women’s participation in computer science and engineering may involve attending to broader cultural factors that prevent women’s and girls’ full participation.

Genetics Education Interventions that Promote Social Inclusion in Science Education - Prof. Dr. Brian Donovan

Dr. Brian Donovan will explore how beliefs about the genetic basis of social identity influence racial and gender disparities in science degree attainment through their impact on motivation and belonging in science fields. He will then explain how to intervene on genetic beliefs about social identity through genetics instruction. Along the way, he will describe the instructional frameworks that his lab uses to design genetics education interventions and he will report the results of several large randomized trials in support of the claim that genetics education can be used to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields.