Gender norms and STEM: the importance of friends for stopping leakage from the STEM pipeline

More women are now entering male-dominated fields, yet, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain dominated by men. We examined the association between boys’ and girls’ STEM choices after secondary education and friends’ gender norms, and whether pressure to conform to traditional gender norms differs depending on the gender composition of the friend group. Drawing on 3 waves of longitudinal data (N?=?744) from the Netherlands, our sample consists of adolescents in STEM trajectories in secondary education. Their retention in STEM after secondary education gives us a better understanding of gender-specific “leakage” from the STEM pipeline. We found that girls’ likelihood of choosing STEM decreased drastically when friends had more traditional gender norms. Friends with traditional gender norms had less effect on boys. Nonetheless, boys with only same-sex friends were more likely to enter STEM. Our findings indicate that an environment with gender-normative ideas pushes girls out of the STEM pipeline.     

Femininity,science, and the denigration of the girly girl

Hyper-femininity and the construction of the ‘girly girl’ label have been documented widely, but there has been less attention to their content (or any distinctions between these constructs). Indeed, it can be argued that the content of femininity remains a controversial and somewhat under-researched topic in feminist scholarship. This is also the case in relation to science, which has been widely characterised as a masculine terrain, but there has been less attention to why femininity is excluded from/by science. This article attempts to unpick some of these issues, with a particular focus on the construct of the ‘girly girl’, in relation to access to science. Drawing on qualitative data from the Economic and Social Research Council-funded ASPIRES 2 project, we analyse the discourses used by young people and parents in discussion of ‘girly girls’ and physics. We show the misogynist and excluding discourses projected onto the ‘girly girl’, and indeed that are used to interpolate femininity more broadly. We found that in discussions of science and (hyper-)femininity, even potentially positive feminine attributes were denigrated. Hyper-femininity was produced as ‘more than lack’: vacuous, but also a risible presence. In reflecting on our findings we consider whether femininity may be more derided in some discursive contexts (e.g. science discourse) than others, and whether femininity can or should be conceived as more than lack.     

The status games they play: unpacking the dynamics of organisational status competition in higher education

The article uses the concept of organisational status to explore how universities respond to intensifying competition. Although status is not a novel phenomenon in higher education, recent insights show that the concerns with vertical positioning, both nationally and internationally, are gaining prominence with a growing number of universities worldwide. As global competition becomes as fierce as ever, universities’ efforts to maintain or advance their position vis-à-vis each other are becoming more salient. The paper draws from extant literature to identify three mechanisms of organisational status construction—categories, intermediaries and affiliations—and offers a set of propositions as to how universities of different status rank are expected to act when seeking to maintain or advance their status. Such activities, it is argued, shape status hierarchies, which, in turn, affect the scope of organisational action. The article contributes to the discussions on competition in higher-education literature and, more broadly, to the theory of organisational action in the tradition of sociological institutionalism.     

The relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the assessment of learning outcomes

The purpose of the present study is to gain more insight into the relationship between students’ approaches to learning and students’ quantitative learning outcomes, as a function of the different components of problem-solving that are measured within the assessment. Data were obtained from two sources: the revised two factor study process questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and students’ scores in their final multiple-choice exam. Using a model of cognitive components of problem-solving translated into specifications for assessment, the multiple-choice questions were divided into three categories. Three aspects of the knowledge structure that can be targeted by assessment of problem-solving were used as the distinguishing categories. These were: understanding of concepts; understanding of the principles that link concepts; and linking of concepts and principles to application conditions and procedures. The 133 second year law school students in our sample had slightly higher scores for the deep approach than for the surface approach to learning. Plotting students’ approaches to learning indicated that many students had low scores for both deep and surface approaches to learning. Correlational analysis showed no relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the components of problem-solving being measured within the multiple choice assessment. Several explanations are discussed.     

Individual and collective reflection: how to meet the needs of development in teaching

The following five core ideas explain how learning organizations function as wholes. The core ideas are central when school is examined as a learning organization. Personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared visions and system thinking offer different angles to examine the organization. (1) Personal mastery. Without personal commitment, development is impossible. A community and an individual cannot be directed from outside. Growing means ultimately the ability to let other people grow. (2) Various deeply rooted mental models, ways of thinking and seeing things direct our daily behaviour. When evaluating teaching, the most essential thing is not to value the product only, but to value the mental processes. Individual and group reflection skills are needed there. (3) Shared vision. Appreciating views other than one's own is the most important key success factor of a team. All team members should commit themselves to sharing the vision. This presupposes plenty of discourse in the organization, because commitment cannot be imposed. (4) Team learning. The ability to genuinely learn and work together is a challenge. Collective reflection and regarding other people as esteemed colleagues fosters a good atmosphere, gives time and space to other people and will lead to a deeper understanding than one person alone can attain. (5) In systemic thinking the background is formed by system and theories. We are directed logically to only a minor extent. System thinking binds the other core factors together. This research has focused on personal mastery and mental models. The phenomena of individual and collective reflection and their prerequisites were investigated. The target group was a sample of teacher trainees in vocational teacher education. Familiarization with systematic reflection and adopting the usage of it led to a conscious professional approach, empowerment and aptness for life‐long learning.

Die folgenden fünf Kern‐Vorstellungen erklären, wie Lernorganisationen als Ganze funktionieren. Diese Kern‐Vorstellungen sind von zentraler Bedeutung, wenn Schule selbst als eine lernende Organisation beurteilt wird. Persönliche Erkenntnis, Denk‐Modelle, soziales Lernen, gemeinsame Vision und System‐Denken bieten verschiedene Sichtweisen, diese Lernorganisationen zu prüfen. (1) Persönliche Erkenntnis. Ohne persönliches Engagement ist Entwicklung unmöglich. Eine Gemeinschaft und ein Individuum können nicht von außen gesteuert werden. Heranwachsen bedeutet schließlich die Fähigkeit, andere Leute an sich selbst wachsen zu lassen. (2) Verschieden tief verwurzelte Denk‐Modelle, Denkweisen und Ansichten bestimmen unser tägliches Verhalten. Bei Bewerten des Unterrichtens, gilt es nicht allein das Endprodukt zu bewerten, sondern auch die Denk‐Prozesse für die Lösungswege. Es werden Fertigkeiten der individuellen Umsetzung und kollektiver Reflexion nötig sein. (3) Gemeinsame Vision. Der wichtigste Schlüssel zum Erfolg für Lernen im Team ist die Akzeptanz unterschiedlicher Ansichten als die eigenen. Alle Mitglieder der Gruppe sollten zu den unterschiedlichen Ansichten Stellung beziehen. Dies setzt eine Fülle von Sachgesprächen in der Lernorganisation voraus, sonst ist kein Engagement zu erwarten. (4) Lernen im Team. Die Fähigkeit, mit einander zu lernen und zu arbeiten, ist eine echte Herausforderung. Kollektive Reflexion, gute Zusammenarbeit unter Kollegen, Wert legen auf gute Atmosphäre, gibt Zeit und Raum zu anderen Menschen, und wird zu einem tieferen Verständnis führen, als je ein Einzelner es erlangen kann. (5) Das systemische Denken beruft sich auf System‐ und Chaos‐Theorie. Wir sind nur zu einem geringen Teil durch Logik gesteuert. Das Systemdenken verbindet die. Hauptfaktoren unseres Denkens. Diese Forschung konzentrierte sich auf persönlicher Erkenntnis und Denkmodellen. Die Phänomene individueller und kollektiver Reflexion und deren Anfangsbedingungen wurden untersucht. Die Zielgruppe waren Lehramtskandidaten in der Berufsschullehrer‐Ausbildung. Die Gewöhnung an systematische Reflexion und deren Aneignung führte zu berufsbezogener Methode, Befähigung, Bevollmächtigung und Tauglichkeit zu lebenslangem Lernen.     

Pressures and prospects facing the academic profession in the Netherlands

The nature of the academic profession has changed considerably, due to a shift toward a private sector model and changes in the management of teaching and research. Increasingly, universities are able to employ and manage their own staff. Methods are explored that allow for flexibility in appointments and for individual, subject, or market differences.