STEM Educators’ Perceptions of Gender Bias and the Contributing Factors that Persist for Women in STEM Education

Abstract

Gender bias is considered an influencing factor that affects the decisions of female high school students to participate in STEM education. This action research used a convergent mixed method design to investigate perceptions of high school STEM educators pertaining to gender bias in STEM education. This descriptive study also sought to identify and examine the key factors that STEM educators perceived as influential factors for female high school students' participation in STEM education. Three main factors of influence - behavioral, individual, and environmental - were used to categorize the perceived factors of influence from the STEM educators’ perspectives. The perceptions of high school STEM educators regarding gender bias found biological influences, social norms, stereotypes of STEM students, and the underrepresentation of female students to be most significant.