This project addresses the persistent underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by developing and testing the efficacy of an interdisciplinary intervention aimed at increasing female involvement and performance in STEM. A recent report from Georgetown University forecasts that 51% of all STEM occupations will be computing-related by 2018. However, a worsening gender gap pervades computing fields, both in the number of undergraduate degrees awarded and in employment. Research suggests that one reason for these gaps is that women often find themselves threatened by the potential to confirm negative stereotypes associated with their gender, often termed "identity threat." Drawing on an implicit theory perspective, which distinguishes between a growth mindset (believing human attributes can be cultivated) and a fixed mindset (believing human attributes cannot be changed), this project tests a process model designed to overcome the potentially deleterious effects of identity threat, and thus increase the sense of belonging and performance of females in computer science. The research is grounded in the well-supported idea that individuals with growth, relative to fixed, mindsets tend to remain confident and persevere when challenges arise and ultimately perform better. The investigators explore a novel method for encouraging a growth mindset that integrates (a) psychological theory regarding student feedback, (b) pedagogical research on strategies that help students handle challenging tasks and (c) virtual technologies, which can be particularly powerful learning tools.
The primary contributions of this work are threefold. First, the findings could be applied to the development of a globally competitive work force in STEM fields by helping to increase the involvement of women. Second, the potential intellectual benefits include developing new methods to foster growth mindsets that can be adapted and integrated into any discipline concerned with increasing representation of underrepresented and/or negatively stereotyped groups. Further, the results could contribute to a variety of disciplines (e.g., communication studies, the learning sciences, computer science) invested in understanding how virtual technologies can provide unique learning opportunities. Third, this research will engage undergraduate students in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. These students, the majority of whom are female and/or minorities, will gain valuable experience in the research process, preparing them for doctoral studies in a scientific discipline. This project is supported through the NSF Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (IBSS) competition
