Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States.
Adv Physiol Educ. 2024 Jun 1;48(2):186-192. doi: 10.1152/advan.00117.2023. Epub 2024 Jan 18.
Identity matters in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) because it can affect an individual's long-term sense of belonging, which may in turn affect their persistence in STEMM. Early K-12 science classes often teach students about the foundational discoveries of the field, which have been predominately made, or at least published, by White men. This homogeneity can leave underrepresented individuals in STEMM feeling isolated, and underrepresented K-12 students may feel as though they cannot enter STEMM fields. This study aimed to examine these feelings of inclusivity in STEMM through an interactive workshop that asked middle schoolers to identify scientists from images of individuals with various racial and gender identities. We found that a plurality of students had a positive experience discussing diversity in science and recognizing underrepresented individuals as scientists. We observed positive sentiments from middle school students following a workshop that showcased diversity in science. This workshop uniquely encourages students to recognize that physiologists and scientists today are much more diverse than textbooks typically demonstrate and can be adapted for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students.
身份认同在科学、技术、工程、数学和医学(STEMM)领域很重要,因为它会影响个人长期的归属感,而归属感又可能会影响他们在 STEMM 领域的坚持。早期的 K-12 科学课程通常会教学生该领域的基础发现,这些发现主要是由白人男性做出的,或者至少是由他们发表的。这种同质性会让 STEMM 领域代表性不足的人感到孤立,代表性不足的 K-12 学生可能会觉得自己无法进入 STEMM 领域。本研究旨在通过一个互动研讨会来研究 STEMM 领域的这种包容性感受,该研讨会要求中学生从具有不同种族和性别身份的个人的图像中识别出科学家。我们发现,大多数学生在讨论科学多样性和将代表性不足的人视为科学家时,都有积极的体验。我们观察到,在一个展示科学多样性的研讨会之后,中学生们的情绪是积极的。这个研讨会独特之处在于鼓励学生认识到,今天的生理学家和科学家比教科书通常展示的要多样化得多,而且可以适应中学生、高中生和大学生。