Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Professionals Research Articles

The Soccer-Playing Unicorn – Mitigating Gender Bias in AI-Created STEM Teaching Materials

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly being used in education for various purposes. In particular, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, with their user-friendly interfaces are being explored in education to co-create teaching materials, provide advice and guidance to educators, simulate classroom scenarios, and offer personalized recommendations to students on how to study and approach subjects. With all the enthusiasm for these new opportunities, one should be aware of the risks due to potential biases in the generated content or the responses. These biases can be associated with factors such as gender, race, religion, or political orientation. As a consequence, educators who are using AI chatbots to (co-)create teaching materials need to have the knowledge and the strategies to mitigate such biases. This paper focuses on one particular type of bias, namely gender bias, and on specific disciplines, namely Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Gender bias in STEM education is particularly problematic because it may reinforce existing stereotypes about girls and women in STEM and contribute to their underrepresentation in STEM fields. To raise awareness of these risks of gender bias in AI-co-created STEM teaching materials, this paper identifies risks of gender bias by analysing potential usage patterns of AI chatbots by educators when creating teaching materials. An example of such a risk is if the AI chatbot generates educational materials that primarily portray men as STEM professionals and underrepresent women. This would exacerbate the lack of female role models in STEM. Therefore, strategies are developed that educators can apply to mitigate these risks. These strategies will be demonstrated using practical examples. This will allow them to break the vicious cycle of perpetuating stereotypes in STEM education. In addition, these examples demonstrate how AI chatbots can be used to make STEM education more inclusive, which may include co-creating educational materials tailored to individual interests and learning styles.

Teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to STEM teaching in Qatar’s secondary schools: a structural equation modeling analysis

IntroductionEducators play a pivotal role in shaping students’ academic achievements, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The instructional techniques employed by teachers significantly impact students’ decisions to pursue or persist in STEM disciplines. This research aims to explore the challenges faced by high school STEM teachers in Qatar in delivering effective STEM instruction.MethodsData was collected through a survey administered to 290 high school STEM teachers across thirty-nine schools in Qatar. The survey targeted teachers in the 11th and 12th grades. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data and examine teachers’ perceived barriers to effective STEM instruction.ResultsThe findings revealed various barriers hindering STEM instruction. These barriers were categorized into school-related, student-related, technology-related, and teaching-related factors. All the hypothesized teaching barriers [i.e., (student-related: β = –0.243, p < 0.001); (school-related: β = –0.122, p < 0.001), (technologyrelated: β = –0.123, p = 0.040); and (instruction-related: β = –0.112, p < 0.018)] were negatively related to teachers’ STEM teaching. Among the various obstacles, it appears that the most formidable challenges for high school STEM teachers are related to students (β = –0.243, p < 0.001).DiscussionUnderstanding these barriers is crucial for informing educational policies and developing strategies to enhance STEM learning in Qatar’s high schools. Addressing these barriers is essential to provide adequate resources, professional development opportunities, and support systems. By addressing these challenges, Qatar can foster a conducive environment for effective STEM instruction, thereby nurturing a future generation of STEM professionals.

The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project – Attaining a STEM Mindset Through Improved Technological Ability

Increasing students’ confidence in their technological ability has been found to have a broader impact on their content knowledge in several subject areas, but most strikingly, in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). A sample of 513 students in grades 6 through 12 in the New York City public school system were questioned on their perceived technological ability after participating in The Curriculum and Community Environmental Restoration Science (STEM + Computer Science) Project, hereafter referred to as the CCERS STEM + C Project. Also explored was the students’ access to technology to determine if this would be a factor in student self-efficacy in technology ability. Analysis revealed that science self-efficacy and technology ability were both strengthened through participation in the project. Additionally, the study found that working alongside STEM professionals and exposure to STEM careers were also contributing factors. The study aims to determine if increased access to technology would, in turn, increase students’ self-efficacy in their technology knowledge and skills and have a positive effect on their self-confidence in STEM content. The results of the study contribute to the body of research that suggests greater access to technology may be an important factor in students’ self-agency and academic achievement.

A theoretically based STEM talent development program that bridges excellence gaps.

The pipeline of highly trained STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals has narrowed in recent decades, forcing society to re-examine how schools are discovering and developing STEM talent. Of particular concern is the finding that rural students attend post-secondary schools at lower rates than their urban counterparts, and when they do attend, they are less likely to graduate from STEM programs. One reason may be that they are not prepared for advanced STEM coursework because they lack access to essential STEM talent-development programs in middle or high school. This creates excellence gaps, which exacerbate the narrowing STEM pipeline to the workforce. To address this, we formed a university-school partnership to develop an outside-of-school STEM talent development program, called STEM Excellence, for rural middle-school students who attend under-resourced schools. The aim of STEM Excellence was to increase students' achievement and aspirations while empowering their teachers to develop local STEM programs grounded in developmental psychology theories. STEM Excellence integrated the Talent Development Megamodel Principles of ability, domains of talent, opportunity, and psychosocial variables. STEM Excellence also recognized the interplay of multiple person-environment systems as presented in the Bioecological Systems Model.

STEM volunteers

In response to Toni Feder’s item “The US is in dire need of STEM teachers” (March 2022, page 25), I would like to make note of the work being done by the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s STEM Volunteer Program (stemvolunteers.org), which I coordinate. We recruit STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals to assist K–12 teachers in their classrooms.The program began in 2004 and currently has 110 volunteers in four school districts in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Our retired volunteers commit to a few hours one day a week in the classroom for the school year. Those still working commit to a few hours every two to three weeks. Many volunteers exceed those commitments.Volunteers help students learn subject matter through projects rather than by rote. They also present on technical subjects in the curriculum and organize “Ask a Scientist” sessions, in which they answer questions from groups of students.One teacher wrote an email to a volunteer thanking him for the gift of his time and stating that it was an “absolute pleasure” to work with him. “You make science come alive for our children and I am very grateful,” she wrote. “I will do all I can to encourage more schools to use the program and get visiting scientists.”Prospective volunteers are contacted through a variety of mechanisms—such as through societies’ local sections, newsletters, the DC MIT Club, and retirement associations. The American Physical Society has supported the program from the beginning, including annually sending recruiting notices to its members in the DC metropolitan area.I am convinced that a national program can be designed to produce a significant increase in the number of volunteers from the large number of STEM graduates. As of 2019, there were 12.3 million college graduates whose highest degree was in a science or engineering field, according to NSF’s National Survey of College Graduates. A consortium of STEM societies is the best approach for implementing a program in support of K–12 STEM education.Increasing the number of volunteers will not solve the teachers shortage, but volunteers can be a significant help, in particular with assisting teachers who have a limited background in STEM. And they can serve as substitute teachers, as several of our volunteers have done. Section:ChooseTop of page <<© 2023 American Institute of Physics.

Breaking Barriers: Understanding and Overcoming Societal, Institutional, and Cultural Health Challenges for Women in STEM Fields

This interdisciplinary investigation delves into the multifaceted analysis of barriers within the realms of socioeconomic, cultural, institutional, and mental health aspects to attain a deeper comprehension of the persisting underrepresentation of women within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professions. Despite regulatory efforts aimed at fostering gender equality, women remain a minority in STEM domains, constituting a mere 34% of the workforce. This disparity is glaring, with women comprising only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors, thereby illustrating the pervasive underrepresentation across the academic spectrum. Additionally, gender pay disparities persist, accentuated by biased recruitment and advancement practices that culminate in considerably lower earnings for women in comparison to their male counterparts. Young girls and women face discouragement in pursuing STEM vocations owing to entrenched stereotypes, a dearth of female role models, and an inhospitable institutional milieu. Prevailing societal biases continue to perpetuate the notion that STEM is predominantly male- dominated, portraying scientists and STEM professionals primarily as men. The absence of female role models, particularly for Black women, compounds this challenge. Furthermore, institutional impediments within academic and research settings perpetuate gender insensitivity, mandating conformity to traditional gender norms and impeding the progression of women in their professional trajectories. Additionally, the rigorous demands of STEM education exacerbate mental health issues, notably amongst graduate women hailing from various socioeconomic strata. These issues manifest as heightened stress levels, anxiety, depressive disorders, and even suicidal ideation, dissuading young girls from embarking on STEM careers. To redress these obstacles and propel gender equality within STEM, recommendations encompass the implementation of affirmative action and equal pay policies, robust advocacy for inclusivity and diversity in STEM education and workplaces, establishment of mentorship initiatives, and proactive efforts to debunk prevalent stereotypes. Essential too is the destigmatization and establishment of comprehensive mental health support initiatives tailored to the unique needs of underrepresented groups within STEM. This study underscores the urgent call for collaborative action by governments, institutions, and stakeholders to cultivate a more hospitable and equitable STEM environment for women. It accentuates the paramount importance of comprehending and addressing the intricate interplay of factors inhibiting gender parity within STEM professions. To conduct a meticulous exploration of the intricate nexus between societal, cultural, institutional, and mental health elements contributing to gender disparities in STEM, the research methodology involved a triangulation of data from scholarly journals, surveys, and academic papers within the STEM domain

Migration of high-skilled and STEM professionals from India: Addressing Global Compact for Migration objective 1

This research note examines the dimension and characteristics of the outflow of Indian high-skilled and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals to five key destination countries, namely, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Indian migrants constitute a significant and growing share of high-skilled and STEM professionals in the major immigration countries of the world. Statistics highlight the proposition that retaining them is vital for the origin countries to realize the Sustainable Development Goals with particular focus on mitigating global inequalities in the 21st century. This note also addresses objective 1 of the Global Compact for Migration by exploring specific statistics on emigration from India representing the Global South.

When Pay Equity Policy Is not Enough: Persistence of the Gender Wage Gap Among Health, Education, and STEM Professionals in Canada, 2006‒2016

This study examines gender, geographic, and earnings inequalities within and across 13 health, education, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and computer science) professions in Canada. Data from the 2006 and 2016 population censuses were pooled and linked to a continuous geospatial remoteness index for assessing trends in occupational feminization and associated employment earnings among degree-holding professionals aged 25–54. Linear regression and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition methods were used to analyze how personal, professional, and socioenvironmental factors may attenuate or magnify wage differentials by sex. Results show the STEM professions tended to remain male-dominated, heavily urbanized, and subject to significantly lower earnings for women compared to men. Other historically female-dominated professions, notably nursing professionals and secondary school teachers, were characterized with geographic distributions most closely approaching the general population, relatively narrower gender wage gaps, but also lower average annual earnings. A significant gender wage differential was found in each profession, with women earning 4.6‒12.5% less than men, after adjusting for traditional human capital measures, social characteristics intersecting with gender, and community remoteness and accessibility. Residential remoteness and census period generally explained little of the gender wage gap. Despite decades of pay equity policies in Canada, women’s earnings averaged 2.3‒7.9% less than men’s due to unexplained factors, a finding which may be attributed, at least in part, to persistent (unmeasured) gender discrimination even in highly educated professions.

Co-designing a pedagogical framework and principles for a hybrid STEM learning environment design

The importance of engaging and effective learning environments for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has been internationally recognised. However, no comprehensive pedagogical frameworks exist that support STEM learning environment design. In this study, a pedagogical framework and principles for STEM learning environment design were created based on participatory focus groups involving 10–18-year-old students, teachers, school directors, parents, university students and STEM professionals. Representatives of key stakeholder groups in Belarus, Finland, Germany, Greece and Spain (total n = 132) were invited to focus group discussions in which their wishes related to the pedagogical framework were collected. A second focus group discussion session, engaging the same stakeholder groups (total n = 137), was implemented to validate the framework. A final review for the framework and its design principles was conducted in online focus group sessions, involving 20 experts in curriculum, STEM, educational policy and/or educational technology from all participant countries. The co-designed framework, which is strengthened by the research literature, entails the following design principle categories: (1) General principles, (2) Cross-curricular skills, (3) Ways of teaching and learning, (4) Socio-emotional aspects and (5) Educational compatibility. The design principles created in this study have been employed in developing a hybrid (virtual, physical, formal, non-formal and informal) STEM environment, but they can be employed in any (STEM) learning environment design. Instead of focusing on singular design principles, we recommend considering a wide range of different design principles in order to support multiple ways of teaching and learning and to develop both subject-related and cross-curricular competencies.

Divergent effects of education and occupation history on age at onset within Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia

AbstractBackgroundCognitive reserve refers to the resilience education and life‐time mental activity confer against neurodegenerative disease. Mostly understood within Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we investigated the impact education and occupation history have within frontotemporal dementia (FTD).MethodsEmploying the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) job classification, we screened occupation histories in all participants who presented to the UCSF MAC from 1998‐2019 and met criteria for FTD (n=638; including behavioral variant FTD, semantic variant primary progressive aphasia, and nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia) and compared to a sample of AD matched for age at symptom onset (n=600).ResultsCompared to AD, FTD possessed significantly higher amounts of years of education (15.7±2.9 vs. 15.3±3.5, p=0.03) and male sex (50.2% vs. 43.7%, p=0.02). Adjusting for these differences, seven of 23 USBLS categories differed between AD and FTD (Table 1). “Architecture &amp; Engineering,” “Computer &amp; Mathematical,” and “Life, Physical, &amp; Social Science,” which together constitute the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professions, were increased in FTD. “Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, &amp; Media,” “Personal Care &amp; Services,” “Production,” and “Other” occupation categories were increased in AD (referred to here as AD‐Relevant). STEM occupations predict FTD over AD (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.7 to 3.2), whereas AD‐Relevant occupations predict AD over FTD (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.6 to 3.1). Survival curve analyses of STEM vs. AD‐Relevant vs. all remaining occupations revealed that STEM occupation associates with earlier symptom onset in FTD and later onset in AD and AD‐Relevant careers, the opposite. Furthermore, within FTD, disease duration was longest in the STEM cohort compared to all remaining and AD‐relevant careers (11.4 vs. 8.9 vs. 9.3, p=0.003).ConclusionsWe find that education and occupation history impact age at symptom onset within AD and FTD, in opposing manner. The cognitive reserve hypothesis was created to explain the delayed symptom onset and shortened disease duration increased years of education and occupational complexity bestow on individuals with AD. Within FTD, we observe the opposite ‐ earlier symptom onset and greater disease duration in STEM professionals ‐ suggesting a reciprocal process may be at work within FTD.

Perceptions of stereotypes applied to women who publicly communicate their STEM work

Gender biases and stereotypes are prevalent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, which can create obstacles for the attraction, retention and progression of girls and women to STEM studies and careers. There are many initiatives which are used to attempt to address these biases and stereotypes, including the use of visible role models. This study explores the perceptions of the stereotypes applied to female STEM professionals who publicly speak about their work in both academic and non-academic settings. Using workshops with over 300 participants, predominantly female STEM professionals, from over 25 different cultural backgrounds, the results showed women who publicly communicate their work are likely to be stereotyped as ‘bitchy’, ‘bossy’, and ‘emotional’—often by their own gender. These findings suggest that women may be in a more vulnerable position when communicating publicly about their work, which could have implications for them participating fully in their careers. It may also have implications for programs which use role models to address prevailing STEM stereotypes. Systematic cultural and institutional change is needed in STEM fields to address the underlying bias and negative stereotypes facing women. However, it should be ensured that the intended solutions to facilitate this change are not compounding the problem.

Students' teaching career expectations by gender and ability levels in science and math: The role of salary and numeracy skills

AbstractUnderstanding what factors foster young people's aspirations to work as teachers is critical for designing effective recruitment policies, and for ensuring that enough youngsters enter the teaching profession. We examine what factors explain between‐country differences in the percentage of 15‐year‐old students who expect to work as teachers as adults. We focus on two factors: (1) the salaries teachers can expect to earn compared to professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and (2) the skill levels teachers have compared to STEM professionals. Relative salaries indicate if (and to what extent) the financial returns associated with teaching careers are higher or lower than professional STEM careers dominated by men. Relative skills highlight the investment in human capital that teachers are expected to make to be able to enter the profession, as well as the social and cultural status that is associated with teaching. We used data from 29 countries that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies. In countries where teacher salaries and numeracy skills were high compared to those commanded by STEM professionals, gender gaps in teaching career expectations were smaller. High‐ability students in science and mathematics were more likely to expect to work as teachers in countries where teachers have comparatively higher numeracy skills. Our findings show that when teacher salaries are competitive in relationship to the salaries of STEM professionals, more students overall expect to work as teachers. However, whilst low‐ and middle‐performing students in science and mathematics were attracted by economic incentives, high‐performing students in science and mathematics were not.

School-STEM Professionals’ Collaboration: a case study on teachers’ conceptions

ABSTRACT The motivation for the design of this study was to understand the possibility and impact of the involvement of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professionals on school STEM education. This involved two stages, with the design of a set of authentic STEM inquiry activities firstly and implementation in primary classrooms secondly. Five teachers from a local primary school, who were making their first attempt in implementing STEM learning with students at senior primary levels, participated in this study. The teachers worked collaboratively with an Environmental Scientist with support from the research team to design authentic STEM activities to solve a problem which is currently affecting the school environment. The study used a qualitative approach with teachers’ pre- and post- concept maps, self-reflections and interviews to capture changes in teachers’ STEM conceptions. The findings showed that “School-STEM Professionals’ Collaboration” had a positive impact on teachers’ conceptions of STEM education and STEM professionals.

The Role of Parental Socializing Behaviors in Two Domains of Student STEM Career Interest

The shortage of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals worldwide calls for research to identify social forces that can foster student career interest in this domain. In this study, we examined the underlying structure of middle school student STEM career interest and the role of their parents’ STEM-specific behaviors in explaining this interest. Students (N = 488) reported their interest in eighth grade (Mage = 14.48 years), while parental data were collected approximately 15 months earlier. Parents (N = 488) reported on their encouragement of their child’s STEM interest, provision of STEM materials for the child, and their own participation in STEM activities. Student grades in STEM school subjects were collected at the end of seventh grade. The findings suggest that in this age, students differentiate between their interest in science and engineering–technology-oriented career activities. Boys showed higher STEM interest than girls but only in the engineering–technology domain. Prior STEM school achievement predicted student science interest but not engineering–technology interest. After controlling for student gender and STEM achievement, the overall parent STEM support predicted both types of STEM interest, equally for boys and girls. However, parents reported more STEM-specific practices in case of sons than daughters. The results are discussed in the framework of the ontogeny of children’s STEM vocational interest and previous findings on the gendered socialization in STEM within the family. Implications for interventions and curricula in the STEM domain are also discussed.

Assessing Classroom Emotional Climate in STEM classrooms: developing and validating a questionnaire

In an attempt to engage more students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, schools are encouraged by STEM educators and professionals to introduce students to STEM through projects which integrate skills from each of the STEM disciplines. Because little is known about the learning environment of STEM classrooms, we developed and validated a Classroom Emotional Climate (CEC) questionnaire. Initially, the questionnaire was pilot tested with six focus groups of students from three schools to obtain feedback to incorporate into a revision of the CEC. Next, the modified CEC questionnaire was administered to 698 students participating in STEM activities in 57 classes in 20 schools. Exploratory factor analysis (principal component analysis) led to reduction of the CEC to 41 items in seven dimensions: Consolidation, Collaboration, Control, Motivation, Care, Challenge and Clarity. The structure of the CEC was then further explored using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity (ability to differentiate between classrooms), discriminant validity (scale intercorrelations) and predictive validity (associated with student attitudes) were satisfactory. Finally, Rasch analysis of data for each dimension revealed good model fit and unidimensionality of the items describing each latent variable.

Improving perceptions of STEM careers through informal learning environments

PurposeThis paper investigated the impact a camp on informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) had on students' perceptions of STEM fields and careers.Design/methodology/approachA quasiexperimental design was used to assess students' perceptions toward STEM fields and careers. Secondary students (n = 57) who participated in the STEM summer camp completed STEM projects, went on lab tours and attended panels during the one- or two-week residential camps. Students completed a STEM Semantics survey to assess their perceptions prior to and after attending the camp. Descriptive statistics, Cohen'sdeffect sizes, paired samplet-tests and Pearson's correlation were conducted to analyze the data.FindingsResults suggested that although there was no significant change in students' dispositions toward each individual STEM field, there was a statistically significant improvement of students' perceptions of STEM careers (p = 0.04;d = 0.25). Furthermore, the results of the Pearson's correlation indicated that there was a statistically significant positive association between perceptions of a STEM career and perceptions in science, mathematics and engineering.Research limitations/implicationsThis suggests that various components of the informal learning environment positively contributed to students' perceptions toward STEM careers. Implications from the study indicate that when students are engaged in hands-on science or STEM PBL activities and have opportunities to be exposed to various STEM careers, their perceptions of STEM pathways will improve.Originality/valueThese results may influence future curriculum and the organization of future STEM camps by encouraging teachers and camp directors to integrate practical hands-on STEM projects and expose students to potential STEM pathways through lab tours and panels of STEM professionals.

The Role of Dual Enrollment STEM Coursework in Increasing STEM Career Interest among American High School Students

Background/ContextThe United States is facing a shortage of domestically prepared STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, yet many high school graduates find they are not sufficiently prepared for college-level work in STEM subjects. Dual enrollment STEM courses count for both high school and college credit, expose students to the demands of a college course, and may be used to augment existing high school course offerings and graduate students who are better prepared to continue, and are interested in continuing, their education in STEM.Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of StudyThis study investigated changes in students’ reported interest in STEM careers after taking a dual enrollment STEM course. We address the following questions: (1) Are high school students who take one or more STEM dual enrollment courses more likely than their peers to report an interest in STEM careers by the end of high school? (2) Is dual enrollment STEM course-taking more effective than Advanced Placement STEM course-taking in increasing student interest in STEM careers by the end of high school?Research DesignA quasi-experimental research design was used in this work, with propensity weights employed to account for group self-selection effects post hoc. Data were collected through a national survey of college students (N = 14,114) who provided information about their K–12 experiences.Findings/ResultsAfter controlling for demographic, academic, and background characteristics, particularly prior interest in a STEM career, the odds of a STEM career intention were 1.3 times (p &lt; .05) greater for those taking a dual enrollment course compared with peers who did not. Students who took both dual enrollment and AP STEM courses had 2.1 times the odds of their nonparticipating peers to report an interest in STEM careers. Results show that the STEM dual enrollment intervention is equally effective for students of all demographic backgrounds.Conclusions/RecommendationsThis study is the first to examine the link between dual enrollment and career interest, revealing an additional avenue through which students may be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. Dual enrollment is a promising intervention to increase STEM career interest among all high school students, including students of different genders, races, socioeconomic status (as measured by highest parental education level), and academic achievement (as measured by math SAT score). The policy implications for this work are that dual enrollment programs should be vigorously implemented and promoted in an effort to increase the number of students, especially students from underrepresented groups, who graduate from high school with an interest in a STEM career.

The Impacts of Gender and Subject on Experience of Competence and Autonomy in STEM.

In most societies, women are less likely to choose a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related study program than men. This problem persists despite numerous initiatives aimed at fostering the uptake of STEM subjects by women, who represent an underutilized source of talent in a time of great need for STEM professionals. Many reasons for women’s avoidance of the path into STEM-related areas have been discussed, including weaker mathematical skills, implicit gender stereotypes or structural deficits in school education. One variable which is presumably at the core of decisions regarding a specific study subject is motivation. We aim to look in greater depth at the basis for motivation by referring to self-determination theory (SDT). Here, we specifically focus on the needs for competence and autonomy which represent pivotal sources of motivation, effective performance and psychological well-being and are assumed to be positively correlated with academic achievement and perseverance. In line with previous SDT research, we assume that self-perceptions during STEM studies contribute to experiences of competence and autonomy and may be responsible for gender disparities. To examine whether and how a sex-specific perception of autonomy and competence influences decisions regarding STEM subjects, we conducted a survey study of Master’s students (N = 888; 461 female, 427 male), who were enrolled either in STEM or non-STEM subjects, and asked about students’ motivations, perceived competence (e.g., self-efficacy) and autonomy (e.g., volitional decision for a study major). The results revealed several main effects of study major and only a small number of interaction effects of sex and subject. For example, non-STEM students were more likely to enroll due to their stronger interest in their subject, signifying higher autonomy, while STEM students were more likely to select their subject according to their families’ wishes. The comparison between female and male STEM students revealed that males perceived more self-efficacy and reported more leadership aspirations while female STEM students have lower perceptions of their own competence, especially regarding perceived future competences.

Gender equity: how do the forensic sciences fare?

ABSTRACTFemales are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at all levels of society. Fewer females are completing STEM school subjects, graduating with STEM degrees, being employed as STEM professionals, and holding senior leadership and academic positions in STEM. However, unlike almost every other STEM discipline, the overall ratio of females is higher in many forensic science disciplines. For our sector, rather than having difficulty in attracting females, the bigger issue is how we retain and promote female talent. This complex issue is exacerbated by: gender pay gaps; family role expectations; lack of visible role models or mentors; discrimination and harassment; and bias during recruitment and promotion practices. We discuss barriers relevant for women in the forensic industry and offer potential solutions. These include flexible work arrangements, sponsorship programmes, and fostering and practising an inclusive workplace culture. Gender equity programmes and exemplar STEM organizations focused on a commitment to gender parity will be explored. Harnessing untapped female talent is as much a social justice issue as employing best practices for improving the quality, diversity and output of our forensic science workforce, and research and innovation strategies.

The demographics of nuclear power: Comparing nuclear experts’, scientists’ and non-science professionals’ views of risks, benefits and values

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals can play an influential role in guiding other people’s views of nuclear energy. There has been limited recent research to understand STEM professionals’ attitudes towards nuclear and how they might vary. The present study measured these groups’ attitudes towards nuclear energy as well as their perceptions regarding known determinants of attitudes – including trust in nuclear agencies, appraisals of risk and benefits of nuclear energy, and associated environmental values. Strict criteria were used to identify nuclear experts and STEM professionals. To drill deeper on the determinants of professionals’ perceptions of nuclear energy, this study also investigated the determinants of attitudes towards nuclear energy, when age, gender and professional status were held constant.The STEM professionals perceived nuclear energy to have more negative consequences than did nuclear experts, but less than non-STEM professionals. Levels of trust in the nuclear industry did not significantly differ between the STEM professional and nuclear expert groups, nor did perceived benefits or environmental impacts of nuclear energy. Gender, trust, perceived risk and benefits and environmental values contributed to acceptance of nuclear energy. The most influential of these were trust in the nuclear industry and perceived benefits of nuclear energy.