About this session

Friday, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

From Conversations to Counterspaces: Fostering Young Children's Belonging and Motivation in STEM

STEM inequities begin early (Weinburgh, 1995). Research shows that children from underrepresented groups in STEM often experience lower levels of belonging, identity, and motivation to pursue STEM careers (Burnett et al., 2023; Master and Meltzoff, 2020). This symposium integrates both qualitative and quantitative research to uncover mechanisms behind these disparities and explores solutions to foster motivation and inclusivity within STEM spaces. Paper 1 explores how high-quality engagement with children from both low and high science capital backgrounds can foster scientific reasoning, belonging, and interest in STEM within informal learning spaces. Paper 2 leverages a natural phenomenon by engaging the local public in collecting authentic scientific data during a solar eclipse, which enhances participants' science identity, sense of belonging, and feelings of awe. Paper 3 explores a potential mechanism for women’s underrepresentation in STEM, showing that young children associate certain fields, like computer science, with brilliance. This in turn may reduce girls' motivation to pursue brilliance-related fields. Paper 4 describes the InventHers Institute, which engages young Black girls and their mothers in a multi-layered mentoring model that significantly enhances their STEM identities, belonging, and self-efficacy. Together, this symposium highlights children’s STEM belonging across development and offers novel approaches to addressing STEM inequities.

Paper #1
Title	Fostering Young Children’s Belonging and Scientific Reasoning: Conversations about Science within Informal STEM Spaces
Presenting author	Sydney Alexis Revell, Duke University, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, United States

Paper #2
Title	Leveraging Participatory Science Activities and Awe to Foster Science Identity and Belonging
Presenting author	Kelly Lynn S. Mulvey, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, Department of Psychology, United States

Paper #3
Title	Brilliance in STEM: Early Associations and Their Impact on STEM Motivation
Presenting author	Lin Bian, Ph.D., University of Chicago, Department of Psychology, United States

Paper #4
Title	Empowering STEM Identities: Exploring Mother-Daughter Dynamics Through Culturally Responsive Mentorship and Counterspaces
Presenting author	Whitney Nicole McCoy, Ph.D., Duke University, Center for Child and Family Policy, United States

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Session chairs
Sydney Alexis Revell, Duke University, United States; Tamar Kushnir, Ph.D., , United States

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