What is STEM Identity? (And Why It Matters)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTU2Ic7nECU

When we talk about STEM education, we often focus on content knowledge or technical skills. But there is another crucial aspect that often determines a student's long-term success: STEM Identity.

What is STEM identity? It is a person’s ability to “see themselves as the kind of people who could be legitimate participants in STEM through their interest, abilities, race, gender, and culture” (Hughes et al., 2013, p. 2). It goes beyond just getting an 'A' in math class; it is the ability to “imagine themselves fitting into this community of practice” (Carlone & Johnson, 2007).

Defining STEM Identity Synthesizing the research, we can define STEM Identity as the self-perception of individuals as authentic participants in STEM, integrating their interests, abilities, and cultural background, and envisioning themselves as knowledgeable, active learners and contributors.

What the Research Says So, how do we build this? Several studies offer a roadmap.

One study examined the impact of STEM camps (both single-sex and co-ed) on middle school students. The findings highlighted that diverse role models were critical. Exposure to positive STEM professionals significantly influenced girls' self-concept and interest (Hughes et al., 2013).

Another study at Michigan State University piloted a course where students engaged in authentic learning experiences focused on diversity and inclusion. Students created exhibits for a real client, engaging in collaborative work. The result? Significant positive changes in students' STEM identities, particularly regarding their gender and ethnic identities (Singer et al., 2020).

The Three Contributors Based on this research, Singer and colleagues identified three essential contributors to forming a positive STEM identity:

  1. Teaching for diversity and inclusion (specifically through exposure to role models).

  2. A sense of belonging to the educational institution and the STEM field.

  3. Authentic learning experiences.

The Path Forward One of our primary goals as educators must be to create learning environments where students feel like valued participants. In future posts, we will explore how frameworks like Design Thinking and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy can help us activate these three contributors.

References

  • Carlone, H., & Johnson, A. C. (2007). Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1187–1218.

  • Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education. (2018). Broadening participation task force: February 2018 update. http://www.informalscience.org/news-views/broadening-participation-task-force-february-2018-update

  • Hughes, R. M., Nzekwe, B., & Molyneaux, K. J. (2013). The single sex debate for girls in science: A comparison between two informal science programs on middle school students’ STEM identity formation. Research in Science Education, 43(5), 1979–2007.

  • Singer, A., Montgomery, G., & Schmoll, S. (2020). How to foster the formation of STEM identity: Studying diversity in an authentic learning environment. International Journal of STEM Education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00254-z

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