Abstract
This paper focuses on stereotype threat and its effects on sense of belonging in the German Physics Olympiad science competition. Participants completed questionnaires about sense of belonging, stereotype endorsement, interest, and self-concept in physics, as well as about value and success expectations of studying physics in college. Female participants who endorsed negative stereotypes about female talent for physics felt less sense of belonging to physics. This effect did not manifest for male participants. Sense of belonging to physics significantly predicted value and success expectations for studying physics in college beyond what is predicted by interest and self-concept in physics. These findings suggest that sense of belonging is influenced by stereotype threat, which was shown to cause gender differences in science. Nevertheless, sense of belonging could be included into the expectancy-value theory based on its predictive impact on value and success expectations of studying physics.
Highlights
Lower interest in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers and often lower numbers of girls in science precipitated much research on gender differences in science, applying different rationales and theoretical approaches (e.g., Aronson et al, 1999; Schmader et al, 2004; Flore and Wicherts, 2015; Kang et al, 2019)
This paper focuses on stereotype threat and its effects on sense of belonging in the German Physics Olympiad science competition
Sense of belonging to physics significantly predicted value and success expectations for studying physics in college beyond what is predicted by interest and self-concept in physics. These findings suggest that sense of belonging is influenced by stereotype threat, which was shown to cause gender differences in science
Summary
Technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers and often lower numbers of girls in science precipitated much research on gender differences in science, applying different rationales and theoretical approaches (e.g., Aronson et al, 1999; Schmader et al, 2004; Flore and Wicherts, 2015; Kang et al, 2019). A study by Sadler et al (2012) paints a more nuanced image by taking gender into account: in contrast to boys’ stable interest in STEM careers, girls’ interest declines during high school. Women less often choose most science domains in school, college, and careers (Kahn and Ginther, 2015; Miller and Wai, 2015; Su and Rounds, 2015; Wang et al, 2015; Cheryan et al, 2017). This predominance of men is especially apparent in physics.
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