The Psychology of Underrepresentation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Educational Psychology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 2185
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Despite having similar levels of interest in pursuing careers in STEM, minority group members (e.g., women, racial minorities, first generation students) continue to be underrepresented in the related fields. This is problematic as STEM jobs are generally high-paying, meaning that minority group members have reduced opportunity to earn higher pay. In addition, diversity leads to the development of varied and novel ideas, along with new perspectives on old problems. In order to address this problem, psychologists have identified predictors of STEM persistence such as high school preparation, strength of identification with the ingroup, STEM role models, various individual differences, performance, etc. Psychologists have also examined how minorities’ experiences of social identity threat engender psychological vulnerability (e.g., lack of belonging, evaluative concerns, imposter feelings), which can undermine students’ STEM interest. Now that a foundation for psychological research on underrepresentation in STEM has been laid, it is time to develop comprehensive accounts of this challenge. For this reason, we have organized a Special Issue dedicated to new directions in psychological research on underrepresentation in STEM. We welcome original psychology research papers in the following areas, among others:
- Understudied minority groups in STEM (e.g., linguistic minorities, bi-/multiracial individuals, LGBTQIA+ people);
- Novel individual difference predictors of STEM outcomes;
- Institutional level predictors of STEM outcomes.
Dr. Jennifer LaCosse
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- underrepresentation
- individual differences
- minority groups
- persistence
- attrition
- STEM
- equity
- motivation
- institutions
- diversity
- threat
- performance
- inequality
