How do mindsets, gender bias, and confidence in early adolescence affect girls’ desire to be, and belief that they can be, a scientist?
Eli Talbert, an undergraduate at the time, joined Nebraska researchers Patricia Wonch Hill, Julia McQuillan, Amy Spiegel, G. Robin Gauthier, and Judy Diamond for a study published in Social Sciences. Talbert was part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation.
The group assessed how explicit boy-science bias, science confidence, science possible selves – the belief in being able to become a scientist – and the desire to be a scientist vary by gender. They surveyed 529 adolescents in a U.S. Title I (high poverty) middle school.
The researchers determined that “facilitating growth mindsets and countering boy-science bias in middle school may be fruitful interventions for widening participation in science careers.”
