The Relationship Between Black Girls' Perceptions of Their STEM Teachers and Their STEM Identity

Bibliographic Data

ID21392693
AuthorsKristian Edosomwan (0000-0002-8152-9445, Department of Teaching, Learning, & Culture Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA), Aminah Crawford (0009-0007-0316-6689, Department of Teaching, Learning, & Culture Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA), Jemimah Young (0000-0001-6598-9196, Department of Teaching, Learning, & Culture Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA), Jamaal Young (0000-0001-7277-1072, Department of Teaching, Learning, & Culture Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume110
Issue2
Pages693-706
Publication date2026-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21974
OpenAlexW4409892262
LanguageEN
References cited59

Historically, higher education institutions have created and maintained barriers that prevent people of color, particularly Black women and girls, from pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Researchers suggest fostering positive attitudes towards STEM subjects among Black girls to address these systemic barriers. Dually marginalized Black women and girls face unique challenges along the STEM education and career pipeline. Their status as members of two underrepresented groups in STEM, Black and female, leads to unique challenges that differ from those of Black men and boys and White women and girls. Unfortunately, explanations for the underrepresentation of Black women and girls in STEM fields have primarily focused on White women and girls. To address this gap in the extant literature, the present study employed multiple regression analysis of the High School Longitudinal Survey of 2009 (HSLS:09) to examine the influence of Black girls' perceptions of their math and science teachers' attitudes toward them on the development of their scientific and mathematical identities. The findings reveal that more positive perceptions of mathematics and science teachers are associated with more positive science and mathematics identities. This study has broad implications for educational settings, as the data can assist practitioners and professionals in reimagining and implementing programs and practices to foster and nurture positive self‐perceptions of Black girls' scientific and mathematical identities

Aesthetics · Identity (music) · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Perception · Science education · Career Development and Diversity · Diverse Educational Innovations Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy