Elizabeth A Canning
Biographic Data
| ID | 3468191 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elizabeth A Canning |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elizabeth A |
| FAMILY NAME | Canning |
| SIGNATURE | CANNING E A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6864-2224 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 92 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Perceptions of Safety and Threat in the Environment
The Safety and Threat in Environment Perceptions (STEP) scale assesses perceptions of environments as safe (welcoming, inclusive) or threatening (critical, intimidating). We first evaluated the factor structure of the scale and demonstrated its unique predictive validity in classrooms (Studies 1 and 2), gyms (Studies 3 and 4), and the workplace (Study 5). When seeing classrooms with stereotypically masculine (vs. neutral) objects, women perceived…
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
Examining active help-seeking behavior in first-generation college students
Gender representation and academic achievement among STEM‐interested students in college STEM courses
Substantial gender equity gaps in postsecondary degree completion persist within many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, and these disparities have not narrowed during the 21st century. Various explanations of this phenomenon have been offered; one possibility that has received limited attention is that the sparse representation of women itself has adverse effects on the academic achievement—and ultimately the p…
Professors Who Signal a Fixed Mindset About Ability Undermine Women’s Performance in STEM
Two studies investigate how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professors’ fixed mindsets—the belief that intelligence is fixed and unchangeable—may induce stereotype threat and undermine women’s performance. In an experiment ( N = 217), we manipulated professors’ mindset beliefs (fixed vs. growth) within a course syllabus. While both men and women perceived the fixed mindset professor to endorse more gender stereotypes and anticip…
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
College students’ reasons for leaving biomedical fields
This study examined whether students who left biomedical fields of study during college did so primarily because they became disenchanted with those fields or because they felt attracted to alternative fields of study. We identified 1193 students intending to pursue biomedical fields of study early in college, collected data about their beliefs and performance throughout college, and interviewed them near graduation about their future plans. Desc…
Does my professor think my ability can change? Students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs predict their psychological vulnerability, engagement, and performance in class.
902), we examined students' perceptions of their actual STEM professors' mindset beliefs and used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to capture their in-the-moment psychological experiences in those professors' classes. Across all studies, we find that students who perceive that their professor endorses more fixed mindset beliefs anticipate (Studies 1 and 2) and actually experience (Studies 3 and 4) more psychological vulnerability in those pr…
Feeling Like an Imposter
Many college students intend to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers but quickly abandon these goals when confronted with notoriously competitive STEM courses that often pit students against each other. This emphasis on interpersonal competition could be especially detrimental for first-generation (FG) college students, an underrepresented group in STEM fields which more strongly values communality and collaboration re…
STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
Racial achievement gaps are twice as large, and all students are less motivated, when STEM faculty believe ability is fixed.
The Role of Mothers' Communication in Promoting Motivation for Math and Science Course‐Taking in High School
In the context of concerns about American youths' failure to take advanced math and science (MS) courses in high school, we examined mothers' communication with their adolescent about taking MS courses. At ninth grade, U.S. mothers (n = 130) were interviewed about their responses to hypothetical questions from their adolescent about the usefulness of algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics. Responses were coded for elaboratio…
Affirming independence
First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation colleg…
Closing achievement gaps with a utility-value intervention
Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on …
Academic Motivation and Performance
Closing the social class achievement gap for first-generation students in undergraduate biology
Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students, a population that accounts for nearly a fifth of college students. We report a values affirmation int…
Closing the social class achievement gap for first-generation students in undergraduate biology
Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students, a population that accounts for nearly a fifth of college students. We report a values affirmation int…
Closing achievement gaps with a utility-value intervention
Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on …
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
Affirming independence
First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation colleg…
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
The Role of Mothers' Communication in Promoting Motivation for Math and Science Course‐Taking in High School
In the context of concerns about American youths' failure to take advanced math and science (MS) courses in high school, we examined mothers' communication with their adolescent about taking MS courses. At ninth grade, U.S. mothers (n = 130) were interviewed about their responses to hypothetical questions from their adolescent about the usefulness of algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics. Responses were coded for elaboratio…
Examining active help-seeking behavior in first-generation college students
Closing the social class achievement gap for first-generation students in undergraduate biology
Many students start college intending to pursue a career in the biosciences, but too many abandon this goal because they struggle in introductory biology. Interventions have been developed to close achievement gaps for underrepresented minority students and women, but no prior research has attempted to close the gap for first-generation students, a population that accounts for nearly a fifth of college students. We report a values affirmation int…
Academic Motivation and Performance
The Role of Mothers' Communication in Promoting Motivation for Math and Science Course‐Taking in High School
In the context of concerns about American youths' failure to take advanced math and science (MS) courses in high school, we examined mothers' communication with their adolescent about taking MS courses. At ninth grade, U.S. mothers (n = 130) were interviewed about their responses to hypothetical questions from their adolescent about the usefulness of algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics. Responses were coded for elaboratio…
Affirming independence
First-generation college students (students for whom neither parent has a 4-year college degree) earn lower grades and worry more about whether they belong in college, compared with continuing-generation students (who have at least 1 parent with a 4-year college degree). We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of participants from a study in which a values-affirmation intervention improved performance in a biology course for first-generation colleg…
Closing achievement gaps with a utility-value intervention
Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on …
STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
Racial achievement gaps are twice as large, and all students are less motivated, when STEM faculty believe ability is fixed.
Does my professor think my ability can change? Students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs predict their psychological vulnerability, engagement, and performance in class.
902), we examined students' perceptions of their actual STEM professors' mindset beliefs and used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to capture their in-the-moment psychological experiences in those professors' classes. Across all studies, we find that students who perceive that their professor endorses more fixed mindset beliefs anticipate (Studies 1 and 2) and actually experience (Studies 3 and 4) more psychological vulnerability in those pr…
Feeling Like an Imposter
Many college students intend to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers but quickly abandon these goals when confronted with notoriously competitive STEM courses that often pit students against each other. This emphasis on interpersonal competition could be especially detrimental for first-generation (FG) college students, an underrepresented group in STEM fields which more strongly values communality and collaboration re…
College students’ reasons for leaving biomedical fields
This study examined whether students who left biomedical fields of study during college did so primarily because they became disenchanted with those fields or because they felt attracted to alternative fields of study. We identified 1193 students intending to pursue biomedical fields of study early in college, collected data about their beliefs and performance throughout college, and interviewed them near graduation about their future plans. Desc…
Gender representation and academic achievement among STEM‐interested students in college STEM courses
Substantial gender equity gaps in postsecondary degree completion persist within many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, and these disparities have not narrowed during the 21st century. Various explanations of this phenomenon have been offered; one possibility that has received limited attention is that the sparse representation of women itself has adverse effects on the academic achievement—and ultimately the p…
Professors Who Signal a Fixed Mindset About Ability Undermine Women’s Performance in STEM
Two studies investigate how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professors’ fixed mindsets—the belief that intelligence is fixed and unchangeable—may induce stereotype threat and undermine women’s performance. In an experiment ( N = 217), we manipulated professors’ mindset beliefs (fixed vs. growth) within a course syllabus. While both men and women perceived the fixed mindset professor to endorse more gender stereotypes and anticip…
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
Examining active help-seeking behavior in first-generation college students
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
Perceptions of Safety and Threat in the Environment
The Safety and Threat in Environment Perceptions (STEP) scale assesses perceptions of environments as safe (welcoming, inclusive) or threatening (critical, intimidating). We first evaluated the factor structure of the scale and demonstrated its unique predictive validity in classrooms (Studies 1 and 2), gyms (Studies 3 and 4), and the workplace (Study 5). When seeing classrooms with stereotypically masculine (vs. neutral) objects, women perceived…
Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Mathematics education (9 works) · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness (8 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Career Development and Diversity (5 works) · Mindset (5 works) · Pedagogy (5 works) · Mathematics (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works)