%0 Journal Article
%T ¡°I¡¯m Not a Science Nerd!¡±:  STEM Stereotypes, Identity, and Motivation Among Undergraduate Women
%A Christine R. Starr
%J Psychology of Women Quarterly
%@ 1471-6402
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0361684318793848
%X Stereotypes reduce women¡¯s identification with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), which can decrease their motivation to enter STEM domains. Stereotypes may be gender-based (e.g., STEM is for men) or trait-based (e.g., STEM is for geniuses). In this study, I explored two primary research questions: First, would stereotyping STEM as a domain for nerdy geniuses negatively relate to women¡¯s STEM identity? Second, would STEM identity mediate the relation between stereotypes and STEM motivation? Nerd-genius stereotypes and gender stereotypes negatively contributed to women¡¯s STEM identity. STEM identity positively contributed to women¡¯s STEM motivation (including expectancy-value beliefs). Participants were a diverse sample of undergraduate women (N = 195, mean age was 19.8; 30% of participants were Latina, 30% European, 24% Asian). Stereotype measures were (1) implicit gender-STEM associations, (2) explicit gender associations about STEM, and (3) a new scale that measured nerd-genius stereotypes. The results highlight the unique contribution different stereotypes make toward women¡¯s identification with STEM and, in turn, their motivation to pursue STEM pathways. Practice implications include addressing nerd-genius stereotypes in STEM interventions and reducing classroom artifacts that might be reminiscent of these stereotypes
%K expectancy-value
%K STEM confidence
%K STEM self-efficacy
%K sense of belonging
%K science
%K implicit attitudes
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0361684318793848