Girls' lower sense of belonging mediates the relation between gender-interest stereotypes and their lower interest in computer science, with the opposite mediation for boys¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? For girls, lower sense of belonging mediated the negative relation between stereotype endorsement and interest (Study 1 conditional indirect effect = −0.14, 95% CI [−0.24, −0.03]); for boys the mediation ran in the opposite direction (0.10, CI [0.02, 0.18]). → Master 2021

Evidence¶

Master 2021¶

Master, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Cheryan, S. (2021). Gender stereotypes about interests start early and cause gender disparities in computer science and engineering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(48), e2100030118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100030118

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Mediation analysis in the Study 1 survey; the overall index of moderated mediation was −0.24, 95% CI [−0.37, −0.10]. Study 2 replicated the pattern (girls' indirect effect = −0.08, CI [−0.13, −0.03]).

"For girls, the relation between endorsement of gender-interest stereotypes favoring boys and their own lower interest in pursuing computer science was mediated by a lower sense of belonging in computer science classes and activities, conditional indirect effect = −0.14, 95% CI [−0.24, −0.03]"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Gender-interest stereotypes create a gender gap in interest in a computer science activity: girls, but not boys, show lower interest when the stereotype is present
• The more girls endorse gender-interest stereotypes favoring boys, the lower their own interest in computer science and engineering, and interest stereotypes predict girls' interest more strongly than ability stereotypes — related
• Gender-interest stereotypes favoring boys in computer science and engineering are endorsed across grades 1–12 and across racial/ethnic groups in a diverse sample — related
• Agentic goal incongruity negatively predicts Indigenous students' persistence intentions indirectly through reduced sense of belonging — related