2007: Vol. 54, Issue 1 by Catherine Riegle-Crumb
Given the increasing importance of education to socioeconomic attainment and other life course tr... more Given the increasing importance of education to socioeconomic attainment and other life course trajectories, early academic struggles can have long-term consequences if not addressed. Analysis of a nationally representative sample with official school transcripts and extensive data on adolescent functioning identified a social psychological pathway in this linkage between external feedback about early struggles and truncated educational trajectories. For girls, class failures absent of diagnosed learning disabilities engendered increasingly negative self-perceptions that, in turn, disrupted math and science course-taking, especially in family and peer contexts in which academic success was prioritized. For boys, diagnosed learning disabilities, regardless of class performance , engendered the same changes in self-perception and the same consequences of these changes for course-taking across family and peer contexts. These results reveal how ability labels and ability-related performance indicators come together to influence the long-term educational prospects of girls and boys attending mainstream schools in which the majority of students do not have learning disabilities or severe academic problems.
Papers by Catherine Riegle-Crumb
arXiv (Cornell University), Jan 10, 2023
Owing to their potential impact on students' cognitive and noncognitive outcomes, the negative at... more Owing to their potential impact on students' cognitive and noncognitive outcomes, the negative attitudes toward science held by many elementary teachers are a critical issue that needs to be addressed. This study focuses on the science education of preservice elementary teachers with the goal of improving their attitudes before they begin their professional lives as classroom teachers. Specifically, this study builds on a small body of research to examine whether exposure to inquiry-based science content courses that actively involve students in the collaborative process of learning and discovery can promote a positive change in attitudes toward science across several different dimensions. To examine this issue, surveys and administrative data were collected from over 200 students enrolled in the Hands on Science (HoS) program for preservice teachers at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as more than 200 students in a comparison group enrolled in traditional lecture-style classes. Quantitative analyses reveal that after participating in HoS courses, preservice teachers significantly increased their scores on scales measuring confidence, enjoyment, anxiety, and perceptions of relevance, while those in the comparison group experienced a decline in favorable attitudes to science. These patterns offer empirical support for the attitudinal benefits of inquiry-based instruction and have implications for the future learning opportunities available to students at all education levels.
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology
Sociology of Education
Utilizing the High School Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. high sch... more Utilizing the High School Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students, this study investigates the factors that predict different beliefs about gendered math ability and the potential consequences for students’ choices to enter gender-segregated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors in college. Among other results, analyses reveal that while about 25 percent of students report a traditionally stereotypical belief in male superiority, about 20 percent report a counter-stereotypical belief in female superiority; among female students, such beliefs are more common among black students. Further, models reveal a robust association between holding counter-stereotypical beliefs and the likelihood that women choose biological science majors, which are female dominated, compared to non-STEM fields. Among men, holding counter-stereotypical beliefs is associated with a lower likelihood of majoring in physical science, computer s...
Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, 2018
Gender and race/ethnicity function as major axes of social stratification in the United States, a... more Gender and race/ethnicity function as major axes of social stratification in the United States, and males and those from White backgrounds have historically occupied a position of advantage within the educational system. Although there has been progress towards decreasing inequality in recent decades, gender disparities and, to a much greater extent, racial/ethnic disparities remain in educational outcomes. This chapter reviews the empirical patterns and discusses the major theoretical explanations behind these patterns, focusing on K–16 education within the U.S. Additionally, some of the limitations of prior research are discussed. In closing, the authors also outline three key areas where more empirical sociological research is needed, and highlight recent research that provides compelling examples of where the field of sociology of education should be headed in order to better understand and disrupt educational inequality.
Physics Education, 2021
Quantum computing was once regarded as a mere theoretical possibility, but recent advances in eng... more Quantum computing was once regarded as a mere theoretical possibility, but recent advances in engineering and materials science have brought practical quantum computers closer to reality. Currently, representatives from industry, academia, and governments across the world are working to build the educational structures needed to produce the quantum workforce of the future. Less attention has been paid to growing quantum computing capacity at the high school level. This article details work at The University of Texas at Austin to develop and pilot the first full-year high school quantum computing class. Over the course of two years, researchers and practitioners involved with the project learned several pedagogical and practical lessons that can be helpful for quantum computing course design and implementation at the secondary level. In particular, we find that the use of classical optics provides a clear and accessible avenue for representing quantum states and gate operators and fa...
The authors analyze national data on recent college matriculants to investigate gender and racial... more The authors analyze national data on recent college matriculants to investigate gender and racial/ethnic disparities in STEM fields, with an eye toward the role of academic preparation and attitudes in shaping such disparities. Results indicate that physical science/engineering (PS/E) majors are dominated by men, but not, however, disproportionately by White men. After accounting for high school preparation, the odds of declaring a PS/E major are two times greater for Black males than for White males, and Black females are closer than White females to closing the gap with White males.
http://aer.sagepub.com/content/49/6/1048 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI:... more http://aer.sagepub.com/content/49/6/1048 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.3102/0002831211435229 2012 49: 1048 originally published online 24 February 2012 Am Educ Res J Catherine Riegle-Crumb, Barbara King, Eric Grodsky and Chandra Muller Majors Over Time College Achievement Fails to Explain Gender Inequality in Entry Into STEM The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same? Prior
Sex Roles, 2021
This study utilizes interviews from 22 young female engineers from diverse racial/ethnic backgrou... more This study utilizes interviews from 22 young female engineers from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds as they first entered the White and male-dominated engineering labor force with the goal of examining: (1) how these women endorsed a gender-blind frame that characterizes their workplaces as fundamentally meritocratic, and alternatively, (2) how they named gender as relevant or salient to experiences and interactions at work. Drawing on the insights of intersectional scholars to answer the previous questions, the study calls attention to how the invocation of these frames differed for women of color compared to their majority White female peers. Results revealed that most respondents strongly endorsed the idea that engineering workplaces are meritocratic and that their gender is not relevant. However, there is also evidence of racial divergence in the themes expressed. For example, some White women expressed a narrative contradictory to meritocracy, discussing their workplaces as like family, while in contrast, women of color often expressed uncomfortable experiences of standing out. Overall, the results suggest that female engineers’ tendency to disavow, either explicitly or implicitly, that discrimination and bias occurs in their workplaces, likely contributes to continued gender and racial inequality; subsequently, programs and interventions to facilitate awareness of inequality are critically needed.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 2019
Using data from a large urban district, this study investigated whether racial inequality in acce... more Using data from a large urban district, this study investigated whether racial inequality in access to eighth-grade algebra is a reproduction of differences in prior opportunities to learn (as evidenced by grades, test scores, and level of prior mathematics course) or whether patterns reflect an increase in inequality such that racial differences in access remain when controlling for academic background. We considered how this varies by the racial composition of the school; further, we examined differences in access between both Black and Hispanic students and their White peers as well as differences between Black and Hispanic students. The results point to patterns of reproduction of inequality in racially integrated schools, with some evidence of increasing inequality in predominantly Hispanic schools
Sex Roles, 2019
Although it is well known that women have relatively high rates of attrition from STEM occupation... more Although it is well known that women have relatively high rates of attrition from STEM occupations in the United States, there is limited empirical research on the views and experiences of female STEM degree-earners that may underlie their commitment to their chosen fields. Utilizing survey data from 229 women completing STEM degrees at two U.S. universities, the present study examines how perceptions of occupational affordances and interactions with others in the field predict their occupational STEM commitment. Additionally, the study employs an intersectional lens to consider whether the patterns of association are different for Asian women and White women. Multivariate regression analyses reveal that although communal goal affordances do not significantly predict women's occupational STEM commitment, agentic goal affordances are a strong predictor of such commitment. Regarding experiences with others in the field, results reveal that classmate interactions are not associated with STEM commitment, whereas positive faculty interactions do significantly predict such commitment. However, further analyses reveal racial differences in these patterns because agentic goal affordances are much weaker predictors of occupational STEM commitment for Asian women than for White women, and results indicate that faculty interactions are significant predictors of STEM commitment only for White women. Thus, our results strongly suggest that the theoretical models of motivation and support that underlie much of the discussion around women in STEM do not similarly apply to women from all racial backgrounds and that more research is needed that considers how both gender and race simultaneously shape STEM engagement and persistence.
Educational Researcher, 2019
Informed by the theoretical lens of opportunity hoarding, this study considers whether STEM posts... more Informed by the theoretical lens of opportunity hoarding, this study considers whether STEM postsecondary fields stand apart via the disproportionate exclusion of Black and latina/o youth. Utilizing national data from the Beginning postsecondary Study (BpS), the authors investigate whether Black and latina/o youth who begin college as STEM majors are more likely to depart than their White peers, either by switching fields or by leaving college without a degree, and whether patterns of departure in STEM fields differ from those in non-STEM fields. Results reveal evidence of persistent racial/ethnic inequality in STEM degree attainment not found in other fields.
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 2017
Identity is an emerging lens to view entry and persistence in the STEM fields. Less is known abou... more Identity is an emerging lens to view entry and persistence in the STEM fields. Less is known about engineering identity specifically, yet examining the factors that contribute to shaping it could increase our understanding of gender disparities in this field. Building from theoretical and empirical work on identity in STEM fields, this study considers interest and self-efficacy as likely contributors to young women and men's engineering identity, and also considers the role of attainment value. Furthermore, this study distinguishes between the potential influence on engineering identity of recognition of domain experts, specifically teachers, from the influence of support from family and friends. The study examines two research questions. First, do self-efficacy, interest, attainment value, recognition by teachers, and support from family and friends predict engineering identity of high school engineering students? Second, do these factors contribute to explaining the gender gap in engineering identity? Survey data was collected from 459 students enrolled in a high school engineering course. Engineering identity was predicted using regression analyses. Results indicated that with the exception of recognition, all factors significantly predicted engineering identity. Additionally, while most of the gender gap in identity could be explained by gender differences in interest and self-efficacy, attainment value and support also contributed to explaining gender differences. The implications of these results for future research on identity are discussed.
Social Sciences, 2017
Despite efforts to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and math fields (ST... more Despite efforts to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM), the role of students' perceptions of the social relevance of science in guiding their expectations to major in STEM remains largely unexplored. Though science education scholars predict that perceptions of social relevance likely matter equally for boys and girls, gender scholars suggest that these perceptions should matter more for girls than boys. Using longitudinal data from a large, urban, low-income, and predominantly minority-serving district, this study examines the potentially gendered role of perceptions of social relevance in ninth graders' expectations to major in STEM. Further, it examines these dynamics with respect to expectations to major in any STEM field as well as expectations to major in specific STEM fields. Findings largely support the perspective of gender scholars; perceptions of the social relevance of science positively and significantly predict female, but not male, students' intentions to major in STEM (vs. non-STEM fields). Subsequent analyses that look at intentions to major in specific STEM fields reveal a similar pattern, such that perceptions of relevance positively predict female students' intentions to major in the biological sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering, while male students' intentions are not similarly impacted. By contrast, positive perceptions of the relevance of science predict a modest increase in interest in computer science for both boys and girls.
Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2016
Social Problems, 2007
Given the increasing importance of education to socioeconomic attainment and other life course tr... more Given the increasing importance of education to socioeconomic attainment and other life course trajectories, early academic struggles can have long-term consequences if not addressed. Analysis of a nationally representative sample with official school transcripts and extensive data on adolescent functioning identified a social psychological pathway in this linkage between external feedback about early struggles and truncated educational trajectories. For girls, class failures absent of diagnosed learning disabilities engendered increasingly negative self-perceptions that, in turn, disrupted math and science course-taking, especially in family and peer contexts in which academic success was prioritized. For boys, diagnosed learning disabilities, regardless of class performance, engendered the same changes in self-perception and the same consequences of these changes for course-taking across family and peer contexts. These results reveal how ability labels and ability-related performance indicators come together to influence the long-term educational prospects of girls and boys attending mainstream schools in which the majority of students do not have learning disabilities or severe academic problems.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2017
Building on prior psychological and sociological research on the power of local environments to s... more Building on prior psychological and sociological research on the power of local environments to shape gendered outcomes in STEM fields, this study focuses on the critical stage of adolescence to explore the potential negative impact of exposure to exclusionary messages from peers within girls' science classrooms, as well as the positive potential impact of inclusionary messages. Specifically, utilizing longitudinal data from a diverse sample of adolescent youth, analyses examine how the presence of biased male peers, as well as confident female peers, shape girls' subsequent intentions to pursue different STEM fields, focusing specifically on intentions to pursue the male-dominated fields of computer science and engineering, as well as more gender equitable fields. Results reveal that exposure to a higher percentage of 8th grade male peers in the classroom who endorsed explicit gender/STEM stereotypes significantly and negatively predicted girls' later intentions to pursue a computer science/engineering (CS/E) major. Yet results also reveal that exposure to a higher percentage of confident female peers in the science classroom positively predicted such intentions. These results were specific to CS/E majors, suggesting that peers are an important source of messages regarding whether or not girls should pursue non-traditional STEM fields. This study calls attention to the importance of examining both positive and negative sources of influence within the local contexts where young people live and learn. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
American Journal of Sociology, 2009
... Feminism and Science: Mechanism without Reductionism 197 Carla Fehr 11. Across the Language B... more ... Feminism and Science: Mechanism without Reductionism 197 Carla Fehr 11. Across the Language Barrier: Gender in Plant Biology and Feminist Theory 215 Dana A. Dudle and Meryl Altman PART FOUR: REMEDIES AND CHANGE 12. ...
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2007: Vol. 54, Issue 1 by Catherine Riegle-Crumb
Papers by Catherine Riegle-Crumb