The document summarizes an intervention study aimed at promoting science identity and reducing stereotypes about scientists among community college students. It describes: 1. Using weekly online assignments featuring profiles of diverse scientists to shift stereotypes and enhance science identity. 2. Assessing changes in feelings toward science, interest in STEM majors, and descriptions of scientists pre- and post-intervention. 3. Findings that students who did the intervention were less likely to use stereotypes to describe scientists and more likely to identify with a scientist, which correlated with better class performance.

1. Scientist Spotlights: Science Identity and
Educational Innovation in Community
Colleges and Beyond
MARY WYER, JEFF SCHINSKE, & HEATHER PERKINS

2. Workshop Goals
1. Provide you with an example of one intervention & assessment strategy
2. Promote focused discussion of your classroom approaches
3. Together generate summary of approaches and next steps

3. Overview
1. Briefly, Our Example
◦ Touchstone Theory, Methods, Study Design
◦ Jeff's Intervention
◦ Qualitative & Quantitative Results
2. Small Group Discussions
3. Reconvene to Share & Summarize
4. Next Steps

4. Stereotypes
1. Cognitive shortcuts
2. Explicitly and Implicitly Invoked
3. Evidence for Effects
◦ Stereotype Threat (Steele et al, Shih et al)
◦ Validation Theory (Cohen)
◦ Implicit Association Test (Greenwald et al)
4. Implications for Educators
◦ Possible Selves (mw get cite)
◦ Fit (Kessels 2015)

5. Design & Methods
1. Intervention Research
2. Quasi-Experimental Non-Equivalent Control Group Design
3. Pre- & Post-
4. Qualitative (short essay) & Quantitative (multiple choice survey) Measures

6. Scientist Spotlights
WEEKLY ONLINE HOMEWORK TO SHIFT SCIENTIST STEREOTYPES &
ENHANCE SCIENCE IDENTITY

7. Quick Discussion Prompt…
1. Think, then share with the person next to you…
2. At the beginning of a course, how would your students…
◦ …describe science?
◦ ..describe scientists?

8. Outcomes & Results
ASSESSING CHANGES IN FEELINGS TOWARDS SCIENCE AND
INCLINATIONS TO MAJOR IN STEM

9. Terminology
1. Science Identity: The extent to which a student can imagine herself/himself
as a scientist
2. Interest: Students’ interest in science and in pursuing a science career, e.g.,
“Interested in discussing this subject area with friends or family“
3. Major: Whether students self identified as majoring in Biology or another
science or math field

10. Student Connections with Science
MAJOR QUESTIONS
1. Does science identity improve from pre-
test to post-test?
2. Are students more interested in majoring
in STEM at post-test than at pre-test?
3. Does general interest in science improve
from pre-test to post-test?
MAJOR FINDINGS
1. Students show significantly higher science
identity at post-test, F(1,157) = 19.43, p <
.001, η2 = .11
2. Students more likely to report Biology (or a
similar field) as their major, F(1,157) =
42.58, p < .001, η2 = .21
3. Students report significantly higher interest
in science at post-test, F(1,157) = 16.47, p <
.001, η2 = .10

11. Analyses of Short Essays
The first part of our analyses examined science identity, interest in science, and
inclination towards a Biology major, and found positive improvements in all areas. In
order to examine changes in how students perceive scientists, and to determine how
these beliefs changed over the semester and were impacted by the Scientist Spotlights,
we analyzed essay responses to the following two prompts.
1. Based on what you know now, describe the types of people who do science. If
possible, refer to specific scientists and what they tell you about the types of people
who do science.
2. “I know of one or more important scientist to whom I can personally relate.”
Agree/Disagree Likert Scale + Essay Explanation

12. 0
20
40
60
80
Control Scientist Spotlights
Ave%ofStereotypicalDescriptions
PerStudent
Stereotypical Descriptions of Scientists
Pre-Test Post-Test
0
20
40
60
80
Control Scientist Spotlights
Ave%ofNon-stereotypicalDescriptions
PerStudent
Non-Stereotypical Descriptions for Scientists
Pre-Test Post-Test
Insights from
Student Essays:
Stereotypes
Students who completed the Scientist
Spotlights used significantly fewer
stereotypical descriptions than those
in the control group, F(1,238) = 10.31,
p = .001, η2 = .04, and significantly
more non-stereotypical descriptions,
F(17.97, p < .001, η2 = .06
Conclusion: Students who
completed Scientist
Spotlights held more diverse
views of scientists.

13. 0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Control Scientist Spotlights
AbilitytoPersonallyRelatetoatLeast
OneScientist
Identification of a Relatable Scientist: Experimenal & Control
Pre-Test Post-Test
2.83
2.71
2.80
3.37
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
1 2 3 4
CourseGrade
Identification of a Relatable Scientist
Relationship Between Grade & Relatability Rating
Insights from
Student Essays:
Relatability
Experimental students identified a
specific scientist they can relate to at
higher rates than control students,
F(1,235) = 17.21, p < .001, η2 = .07.
There was also a positive relationship
between relatability and course grade,
F(1,284) = 8.28, p = .004, R2 = .03.
Conclusion: Experimental
students more likely
identified with a scientist,
which is linked to better
class performance.

14. Conclusions
1. Students who completed the scientist spotlights were more likely to describe
scientists non-stereotypically, and to have identified a scientist they can
relate to. Having a scientist to identify with is linked to better class
performance (as measured by grade).
2. Preliminary findings that look at science identity, interest in science, and
inclination towards a Biology major, also found positive outcomes for
students who completed the class.
3. Some areas of interest for further pursuit: confidence in science, interest in
other STEM majors, ??.

15. Focus Group Discussions
STRATEGIES, INTERVENTIONS, AND ASSESSMENT

16. Small Group Discussion:
Strategies & Interventions
1. What approaches have you used to help students see themselves in science?
2. How do you currently incorporate people, history, and cultural relevance into
your science classes?

17. Small Group Discussion:
Assessing Impacts
1. How do you assess students’ sense of belonging in science?
2. How do you assess students’ interest in science?
3. How can we share and assess our best practices?

18. Focus Groups Summary Points

19. We Appreciate Your Participation
If you would like to participate in future data collection, if there are related areas
of interest that you would like to study, or if you would like to utilize this
intervention for your class (or contribute new names for us to profile) please visit
our website! We are collecting email addresses so that we can build a community
of individuals interested in this topic.
http://url

20. Students’ Descriptions of Scientists
(font sizes reflect frequencies of descriptions in student papers)
Before
After

21. Essay Responses: Types of People that Do Science
Latino (Male) Student
BEGINNING OF QUARTER
“The types of people that do science are very
patient and passionate people.”
END OF QUARTER
“The types of people that do science are all kinds
of people. What I have learned throughout this
course is that it is possible to be a scientist under
any circumstances, from poverty to being from a
different country to having a stereotypical
assumption about a person, for example a
cheerleader. Anyone can be a scientist if they
want to. One thing all scientist we learned about
had in common was that they weren’t interested
in science until something sparked their interest.”

22. Essay Responses: Types of People that Do Science
Filipina (Female) Student
BEGINNING OF QUARTER
“I don’t remember specific names when it
comes to scientists, although I think scientists
study science because they’re interested in
knowing the reasons for things happening,
experimenting with the body, nature, animals,
etc. Scientists are the type of people that
want to discover an answer to something.”
END OF QUARTER
“Before I learned about scientists in this class, I
thought scientists were like ‘nerds’ or what
they show in movies…However, through all the
research I’ve done in this class, scientists are
just normal people like myself. They love to
learn new things, they have a life outside the
laboratory, they are fun, and like to have fun.
My opinion of people that do science has
completely changed thanks to this class.”

23. Essay Responses: Types of People that Do Science
Latina (Female) Student
BEGINNING OF QUARTER
“Somewhat Agree. I am knowledgeable of
various scientists but I don’t feel personally
relatable to them. I appreciate their work and
what it has done to better inform us as a
society.”
END OF QUARTER
“Somewhat Agree. In some of the spotlights
some scientists felt that they didn’t always
want to pursue a career in science and that it
just happens. I’m starting to feel the same
way. I’m not originally a science major but I
feel that I could have a future in it if I find the
right field.”

24. Essay Responses: Types of People that Do Science
White Female Student
BEGINNING OF QUARTER
“Somewhat Disagree. I don’t know any
important scientists who I can relate to, but
I’m sure I will learn about some later on in this
class.”
END OF QUARTER
“Agree. I relate the most with the
neurologist/musician from the first scientist
spotlight who looked at brain imaging while
doing either improvisation or reading music he
had never played, because I am also a
musician and I have a really big interest in
neurology and psychology.”

25. Essay Responses: Types of People that Do Science
Black/Native American Female Student
BEGINNING OF QUARTER
“Disagree. I don’t know.”
END OF QUARTER
“Agree. I can relate the most to Ben Barres
because of the obvious discrimination he
received as a woman. Being the older sister of
a very bright brother, I am often compared to
him and overlooked for my intelligence. Unless
it comes from him, my opinion is just that of a
woman.”