Opinions and Perceptions about STEM Studies in Higher Education: An Exploratory Case Study in Spain
Abstract Gender stereotypes are found in the different spheres in which a person grows. Social pressures, biases, patterns and roles, and stereotypical beliefs condition a person's behaviour and self-perception. This also occurs when young people decide what higher education studies to pursue. Even though this is a decision guided towards the professional future and should be marked by future career prospects, sometimes this is not the case. There is no evidence that the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is caused by biological, natural, or cognitive reasons. However, there is evidence that the environment, culture, and contexts in which the individual develops affect this decision. This study aims to identify the social, family, educational, and peer influences on university students' opinions about STEM studies. A questionnaire was applied based on an exploratory pilot study. A total of 115 university students participated in the pilot. The study followed a quantitative methodology, based on the construction of five dimensions (Gender Ideology, Attitudes, Interests, Perception and Self-perception, and Expectations about Science) and hypothesis tests for the instrument. The results reinforce the hypothesis that the different environments surrounding the individual condition whether or not he/she has gender stereotypes about higher STEM studies. Mainly, it is necessary to consider the support received, the references and those who have judged their decision to study.
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Heybach, J., & Pickup, A. (2017). Whose STEM? Disrupting the Gender Crisis Within STEM. Educational Studies-Aesa, 53(6), 614–627. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1369085
Kang, J., Hense, J., Scheersoi, A., & Keinonen, T. (2019). Gender study on the relationships between science interest and future career perspectives. International Journal of Science Education, 41(1), 80–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1534021
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a Unifying Social Cognitive Theory of Career and Academic Interest, Choice, and Performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
López Robledo, D.M. (2013). El género como factor determinante al escoger una carrera profesional en sistemas de información. Universidad del Turabo. Escuela de Negocios y Empresarismo.
Olmedo-Torre, N., Sánchez Carracedo, F., Salan Ballesteros, M.N., López, D., Pérez-Poch, A., & López-Beltrán, M. (2018). Do female motives for enrolling vary according to STEM profile? IEEE Transactions on Education, 61(4), 289–297. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2018.2820643
Prendergast, M., & O’Donoghue, J. (2014). Influence of gender, single-sex and co-educational schooling on students’ enjoyment and achievement in mathematics. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(8), 1115–1130. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2014.904530
Reich-Stiebert, N., & Eyssel, F. (2017). (Ir)relevance of Gender?: On the Influence of Gender Stereotypes on Learning with a Robot. ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Part F127194, 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1145/2909824.3020242
Rossi Cordero, A.E., & Barajas Frutos, M. (2015). Elección de estudios CTIM y desequilibrios de género. Enseñanza de las ciencias, 0059–0076. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/ensciencias.1481
Salmi, H., Thuneberg, H., & Vainikainen, M.P. (2016). How do engineering attitudes vary by gender and motivation? Attractiveness of outreach science exhibitions in four countries. European Journal of Engineering Education, 41(6), 638–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2015.1121466
Sarrado, J.J., Cléries, X., Ferrer, M., & Kronfly, E. (2004). Evidencia científica en medicina: ¿única alternativa? Gac Sanit, 18(3), 13. https://doi.org/10.1157/13063101
Stoeger, H., Greindl, T., Kuhlmann, J., & Balestrini, D.P. (2017). The Learning and Educational Capital of Male and Female Students in STEM Magnet Schools and in Extracurricular STEM Programs: A Study in High-Achiever-Track Secondary Schools in Germany. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 40(4), 394–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217734374
Tomassini, C. (2021). Gender Gaps in Science: Systematic Review of the Main Explanations and the Research Agenda. Education in the Knowledge Society, 22, Article e25437. https://doi.org/10.14201/eks.25437
Verdugo-Castro, S., García-Holgado, A., & Sánchez-Gómez, M.C. (2019). Analysis of instruments focused on gender gap in STEM education. In M.A. Conde-González, F.J. Rodríguez Sedano, C. Fernández Llamas, & F.J. García-Peñalvo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM 2019) (León, Spain, October 16-18, 2019) (pp. 999–1006). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3362789.3362922
Verdugo-Castro, S., Sánchez-Gómez, M.C., García-Holgado, A., & Bakieva, M. (2020). Pilot study on university students’ opinion about STEM studies at higher education. In F.J. García-Peñalvo (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM 2020) (Salamanca, Spain, October 21-23, 2020) (pp. 158–165). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3434780.3436616
Weisgram, E., & Diekman, A. (2015). Family Friendly STEM: Perspectives on Recruiting and Retaining Women in STEM Fields. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 8(1), 38–45.
Wulff, P., Hazari, Z., Petersen, S., & Neumann, K. (2018). Engaging young women in physics: An intervention to support young women’s physics identity development. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.020113
Ziegler, A., Chandler, K., Vialle, W., & Stoeger, H. (2017). Exogenous and Endogenous Learning Resources in the Actiotope Model of Giftedness and Its Significance for Gifted Education. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 40(4), 310–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217734376
Banchefsky, S., & Park, B. (2018). Negative Gender Ideologies and Gender-Science Stereotypes Are More Pervasive in Male-Dominated Academic Disciplines. Social Sciences, 7(2), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7020027
Borsotti, V. (2018). Barriers to gender diversity in software development education: Actionable insights from a danish case study. 40th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training, ICSE-SEET 2018; Gothenburg; Sweden; 30 May 2018 through 1 June 2018, 146–152. https://doi.org/10.1145/3183377.3183390
Brauner, P., Ziefle, M., Schroeder, U., Leonhardt, T., Bergner, N., & Ziegler, B. (2018). Gender Influences On School Students’ Mental Models of Computer Science A Quantitative Rich Picture Analysis with Sixth Graders. Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Gender & IT (GENDERIT ’18), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1145/3196839.3196857
Cantley, I., Prendergast, M., & Schlindwein, F. (2017). Collaborative cognitive-activation strategies as an emancipatory force in promoting girls’ interest in and enjoyment of mathematics: A cross-national case study. International Journal of Educational Research, 81, 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.11.004
Ceci, S.J., & Williams, W.M. (2010). The mathematics of sex: How biology and society conspire to limit talented women and girls (pp. xv, 270). Oxford University Press.
Cincera, J., Medek, M., Cincera, P., Lupac, M., & Ticha, I. (2017). What science is about—Development of the scientific understanding of secondary school students. Research in Science & Technological Education, 35(2), 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2017.1285760
Delgado-Álvarez, M.C., Sánchez Gómez, M.C., & Fernández-Dávila Jara, P.A. (2012). Gender Attributes and Stereotypes Associated with the Cycle of Violence Against Women. Universitas Psychologica, 11(3), 769–777.
Duncan, S.G., Aguilar, G., Jensen, C.G., & Magnusson, B.M. (2019). Survey of Heteronormative Attitudes and Tolerance Toward Gender Non-conformity in Mountain West Undergraduate Students. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00793
Ertl, B., Luttenberger, S., & Paechter, M. (2017). The Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Self-Concept of Female Students in STEM Subjects with an Under-Representation of Females. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(703). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00703
Finzel, B., Deininger, H., & Schmid, U. (2018). From beliefs to intention: Mentoring as an approach to motivate female high school students to enrol in computer science studies. 4th Conference on Gender and IT, GenderIT 2018; Heilbronn UniversityHeilbronn; Germany; 14 May 2018 through 15 May 2018, 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1145/3196839.3196879
García-Holgado, A., Vázquez-Ingelmo, A., Verdugo-Castro, S., González, C., Gómez, M.C.S., & García-Peñalvo, F.J. (2019a). Actions to Promote Diversity in Engineering Studies: A Case Study in a Computer Science Degree. 2019 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 793–800. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON.2019.8725134
García-Holgado, A., Verdugo-Castro, S., Sánchez-Gómez, M.C., & García-Peñalvo, F.J. (2019b). Trends in Studies Developed in Europe Focused on the Gender Gap in STEM. Proceedings of the XX International Conference on Human Computer Interaction, 47:1-47:8. https://doi.org/10.1145/3335595.3335607
García-Peñalvo, F. J., Bello, A., Dominguez, A., & Romero Chacón, R. M. (2019). Gender Balance Actions, Policies and Strategies for STEM: Results from a World Café Conversation. Education in the Knowledge Society, 20, 31-31 – 31-15, Article 31. https://doi.org/10.14201/eks2019_20_a31
Godwin, A. (2014). Understanding Female Engineering Enrollment: Explaining Choice with Critical Engineering Agency. All Dissertations. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1787
Görlitz, K., & Gravert, C. (2018). The effects of a high school curriculum reform on university enrollment and the choice of college major. Education Economics, 26(3), 321–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2018.1426731
Heybach, J., & Pickup, A. (2017). Whose STEM? Disrupting the Gender Crisis Within STEM. Educational Studies-Aesa, 53(6), 614–627. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1369085
Kang, J., Hense, J., Scheersoi, A., & Keinonen, T. (2019). Gender study on the relationships between science interest and future career perspectives. International Journal of Science Education, 41(1), 80–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1534021
Lent, R.W., Brown, S.D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a Unifying Social Cognitive Theory of Career and Academic Interest, Choice, and Performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
López Robledo, D.M. (2013). El género como factor determinante al escoger una carrera profesional en sistemas de información. Universidad del Turabo. Escuela de Negocios y Empresarismo.
Olmedo-Torre, N., Sánchez Carracedo, F., Salan Ballesteros, M.N., López, D., Pérez-Poch, A., & López-Beltrán, M. (2018). Do female motives for enrolling vary according to STEM profile? IEEE Transactions on Education, 61(4), 289–297. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2018.2820643
Prendergast, M., & O’Donoghue, J. (2014). Influence of gender, single-sex and co-educational schooling on students’ enjoyment and achievement in mathematics. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(8), 1115–1130. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2014.904530
Reich-Stiebert, N., & Eyssel, F. (2017). (Ir)relevance of Gender?: On the Influence of Gender Stereotypes on Learning with a Robot. ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Part F127194, 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1145/2909824.3020242
Rossi Cordero, A.E., & Barajas Frutos, M. (2015). Elección de estudios CTIM y desequilibrios de género. Enseñanza de las ciencias, 0059–0076. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/ensciencias.1481
Salmi, H., Thuneberg, H., & Vainikainen, M.P. (2016). How do engineering attitudes vary by gender and motivation? Attractiveness of outreach science exhibitions in four countries. European Journal of Engineering Education, 41(6), 638–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2015.1121466
Sarrado, J.J., Cléries, X., Ferrer, M., & Kronfly, E. (2004). Evidencia científica en medicina: ¿única alternativa? Gac Sanit, 18(3), 13. https://doi.org/10.1157/13063101
Stoeger, H., Greindl, T., Kuhlmann, J., & Balestrini, D.P. (2017). The Learning and Educational Capital of Male and Female Students in STEM Magnet Schools and in Extracurricular STEM Programs: A Study in High-Achiever-Track Secondary Schools in Germany. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 40(4), 394–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217734374
Tomassini, C. (2021). Gender Gaps in Science: Systematic Review of the Main Explanations and the Research Agenda. Education in the Knowledge Society, 22, Article e25437. https://doi.org/10.14201/eks.25437
Verdugo-Castro, S., García-Holgado, A., & Sánchez-Gómez, M.C. (2019). Analysis of instruments focused on gender gap in STEM education. In M.A. Conde-González, F.J. Rodríguez Sedano, C. Fernández Llamas, & F.J. García-Peñalvo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM 2019) (León, Spain, October 16-18, 2019) (pp. 999–1006). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3362789.3362922
Verdugo-Castro, S., Sánchez-Gómez, M.C., García-Holgado, A., & Bakieva, M. (2020). Pilot study on university students’ opinion about STEM studies at higher education. In F.J. García-Peñalvo (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (TEEM 2020) (Salamanca, Spain, October 21-23, 2020) (pp. 158–165). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3434780.3436616
Weisgram, E., & Diekman, A. (2015). Family Friendly STEM: Perspectives on Recruiting and Retaining Women in STEM Fields. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 8(1), 38–45.
Wulff, P., Hazari, Z., Petersen, S., & Neumann, K. (2018). Engaging young women in physics: An intervention to support young women’s physics identity development. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.020113
Ziegler, A., Chandler, K., Vialle, W., & Stoeger, H. (2017). Exogenous and Endogenous Learning Resources in the Actiotope Model of Giftedness and Its Significance for Gifted Education. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 40(4), 310–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217734376
Sonia, Mª Cruz, & Alicia. (2022). Opinions and Perceptions about STEM Studies in Higher Education: An Exploratory Case Study in Spain. Education in The Knowledge Society, 23. https://doi.org/10.14201/eks.27529
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