Role model interventions are often designed to foster students' pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We hypothesize that role model interventions might also unintentionally shape students' beliefs concerning the broader social system--their ideologies--leading them to view the (inequitable) status quo in…

Multiple learning theories encourage the use of role models within K-12 settings and have guided research on role model representation to diversify the pursuit of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Research has been clear on benefits of using role models, primarily focused on promoting gender and racial/ethnic…

Qualified professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education are in increasingly short supply globally. Role models can help increase women's representation in STEM, both at entry and senior levels. The study objectives were to identify the characteristics of role models in STEM higher education and…

Purpose: Girls are underrepresented in many school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, leading to ongoing gender disparity in STEM careers. This issue is not new and has seen a range of initiatives implemented in an attempt to increase girls' STEM participation. In Australia, a number of these initiatives have…

This article examines the formations and tensions of Latinx teacher role model subject positions in spaces with relatively few Latinx teachers. To address the under theorization of space and Latinx teacher subjectivity, I insert a relational space frame to previous literature that critiques neoliberal attempts to place both the blame and solution…

While the field of economics lacks diversity, there is little consensus on the underlying causes of or most effective solutions to this problem. The authors of this article combine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with data from their own survey of U.S. economics departments to identify institution and…

This study was designed to test how well a commercial intervention with a highly feminized role model (Barbie) worked to improve pre-adolescent girls' interest and performance in computer science. Concurrently, this study examined how overtly feminist texts and images of real women would impact girls compared to the traditional highly feminized…

In the United States, schools and universities have too few Black male teachers. Although many factors contribute to this significant problem, one primary factor is the existing lack of Black male educators to serve as role models for Black male students. This literature review captures information from peer-reviewed research, public scholarship…

Program administrators must be intentional when hiring faculty and selecting electives in order to hire faculty the students will be able to relate to, perceive as role models, and who will be able to provide students in higher education in prison (HEP) programs with knowledge about racial issues in our society often from personal experience.…

Women, ethnic minority, and less affluent groups are widely underrepresented in chemistry, a problem that is observed at all levels but begins before college matriculation takes place. The importance of representation and humanization of scientists is crucial. Despite limited progress over recent decades, poor visibility of role models from…

Latinxs are the second largest racial-ethnic group in the United States, yet they make up only 7% of all doctoral degree recipients. Latinx undergraduates are predominantly first-generation college students, who often have limited professional networks to guide their pathways into graduate school. Drawing on interviews with 25 first-generation…

Exposure to inspirational and relatable role models is crucial towards fostering engagement of learners with scientific disciplines. However, the representation of scientists in popular culture is still far from being adequately gender- and race-inclusive. This study evaluated the gender balance and impact of scientific role models using a…

There is a lack of research on the prevalence of Latinas in K-12 history textbooks. This research offers a content analysis of the unique gendered contributions of Latinas in history to fulfill this gap in educational research. Twelve middle and high school textbooks were examined using content analysis to assess the extent of Latina inclusion in…

Globally, a significant gender gap is reported in the enrolment of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Bangladesh reports one of the lowest female stakeholder percentages in STEM but has increased demand for skilled STEM professionals. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the experiences of undergraduate women…

Naturalists enrich our scientific understanding of biodiversity. However, just as countries have fallen behind on commitments to provide biodiversity conservation funding, so has the focus of life science stayed arm's length. The purpose of this article is to consider why biodiversity should be the center of life sciences education and how…