Women are underrepresented in STEM. Researchers note that gender stereotypes are the main explanation for gender disparities in STEM. Methods for measuring stereotypes do not take into account the contexts of education and careers in STEM. This study is an attempt to develop a tool for measuring stereotypes, using mix methods approach. At the first stage (qualitative research), the factor structure of the instrument was determined (method interview, sample of 18 women); at the second stage (quantitative research), a questionnaire on stereotypes in STEM was developed and tested (sample of 145 women). The developed questionnaire demonstrates satisfactory psychometric characteristics, correct functioning of statements and confirms the expected two-factor structure. The questionnaire consists of 10 statements and includes two factors: (1) studying STEM and career in STEM are more suitable for men than women; (2) work in STEM is not compatible with the female role model of taking care of the family. The selected factor model correlates with theoretical ideas about stereotypes: stereotypes about girls’ abilities in technical disciplines and stereotypes about female role model. The developed questionnaire “STEM stereotypes” will make it possible to fix them, evaluate their relationship with other psychological constructs (for example, motivation) and academic achievements, correct the educational and career trajectory, thereby possibly contributing to the consolidation women in STEM.
Keyword(s) : gender
Instruction on Intercultural Communicative Competence and Its Application by Iranian EFL Male and Female Writers
The influence of globalization on applied linguistics has recently generated considerable debate.
With the advent of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) at the start of the twentyfirst
century, many theoreticians and practitioners have accentuated the ICC perspectives and
its incorporation into teaching language skills. This mixed methods research study tries to verify
whether instruction on ICC encourages Iranian advanced EFL learners to incorporate ICC in their
writings, and whether gender plays any role in the tendency to use that competence. To this end,
33 male and female Iranian advanced EFL learners were chosen via an Oxford Placement Test and
then placed in two experimental classes. All the participants received a five-week instruction on
ICC in a writing class at a private language institute in Rasht, Iran. The data analyzed via T-tests,
content analysis technique, and η revealed that instruction on ICC assisted learners in coping with
intercultural issues differently in their writing; however, gender did not play any role in using the
ICC in writing. This study can shine a light on the writing course and language teaching in general
and teaching how to incorporate ICC in writing in particular.
Editorial: Editorial bias
As is often the case, it was short article by another editor that started me wondering
about potential unconscious bias in the way the Education & Self Development editorial
team decides to accept the ‘best’ articles for publication, asks for revisions on others, and
rejects the remainder. In her article, Deborah Bowman (2019) reviews a fascinating account
of how the research into the causes of cholera went un-reported in the medical
literature of the day, because it conflicted with the long-held views of the majority of the
medical profession (see Johnson, 2006).