Authors
Emily N Cyr, Kathryn M Kroeper, Hilary B Bergsieker, Tara C Dennehy, Christine Logel, Jennifer R Steele, Rita A Knasel, W Tyler Hartwig, Priscilla Shum, Stephanie L Reeves, Odilia Dys‐Steenbergen, Amrit Litt, Christopher B Lok, Taylor Ballinger, Haemi Nam, Crystal Tse, Amanda L Forest, Mark Zanna, Sheryl Staub‐French, Mary Wells, Toni Schmader, Stephen C Wright, Steven J Spencer
Publication date
2024/3
Journal
Child Development
Volume
95
Issue
2
Pages
636-647
Description
Girls and women face persistent negative stereotyping within STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). This field intervention was designed to improve boys' perceptions of girls' STEM ability. Boys (N = 667; mostly White and East Asian) aged 9–15 years in Canadian STEM summer camps (2017–2019) had an intervention or control conversation with trained camp staff. The intervention was a multi‐stage persuasive appeal: a values affirmation, an illustration of girls' ability in STEM, a personalized anecdote, and reflection. Control participants discussed general camp experiences. Boys who received the intervention (vs. control) had more positive perceptions of girls' STEM ability, d = 0.23, an effect stronger among younger boys. These findings highlight the importance of engaging elementary‐school‐aged boys to make STEM climates more inclusive.
Scholar articles
EN Cyr, KM Kroeper, HB Bergsieker, TC Dennehy… - Child Development, 2024