STEM positioning

What is the attitude of today’s young people towards STEM fields? What influences their career choices? What do they want to achieve, what do they look like, what do they dream about? Do boys and girls have the same interests? Why/Why not? Is that natural for girls, and is it good? Can we improve as a society?

Digna Couso and Carme Grimalt^[1] have analysed these issues in depth at CRECIM. They have developed a radial diagram comprising 5 branches (interests, desires, identity, capacity, self-efficacy) that takes into account aspects of three decisive areas for young people: SOCIETY, FAMILY AND SCHOOL (Couso Lagarón, D., & Grimalt-Álvaro, C., 2019).1

The intentions of a young person are not only focused on his/her professional future, but also on other aspirations such as social success, family perspective, etc. Society must offer jobs to respond to life’s goals. In other words, work, in addition to being dignified, has to allow free time for life and friends etc. We cannot force anyone to choose a lifestyle or a career. Moreover, we cannot project an image in which working in the STEM field delays the goals and desires of personal life within a professional career.

That is why it is essential to promote the construction of STEM identities. Young people, especially girls, need references that highlight the contributions of women (people of different ethnicities, cultures, and socio-economic levels), not only in terms of professional success but also of life success. Let us highlight women who work in STEM fields and are happy in their personal lives, not because they have received awards or been publicly recognized, but because they have felt professionally recognized and personally satisfied. We have to find references so that the girls can reflect and think “STEM could  be for me, too”.

 The protection of the family and the environment is very important. Various studies relate the STEM capital of the family to the aspirations of the students. STEM capital includes aspects such as knowledge about or attitudes towards STEM fields in the family, and the existence of a family member working in STEM fields. In families with high STEM capital, many more young people participate in STEM studies. Consequently, STEM studies become a “hereditary” issue. Some strategies could therefore be to promote the STEM capital of the family, not regarding a young person interested in STEM fields as a “nerd”,  so she or he can share [S1] her/his abilities and successes/achievements with their mothers, fathers and/or guardians (and thus receive recognition).

 The third dimension of STEM’s positioning, after Society and Family, is School. The STEM field environment needs education to value students positively with enthusiasm and not treat them like freaks. The school should propose STEAM teaching aligned with the interests of young people; in addition to building STEM knowledge and developing STEM competencies, it could help students to build a realistic, humane and inclusive view of the STEM framework. To this end, it is necessary to lead, promote, encourage, propose, organize visits to laboratories, invite women scientists or workers from the STEM environment… so that young people can learn from their experiences and gain an insight into this diverse, attractive world.  Teachers and educators must help young people develop their own effectiveness and overcome the effects of the environment, which are often not malicious, but can frustrate some projects. Vocations must have favourable conditions. To feel competent means to have successful experiences in the classroom, to receive recognition, to have real references, to know the STEM context of the professional field, to visit laboratories, to work in the classroom on soft skills (e.g. creative work and critical thinking), to listen to STEM professionals, to review classroom messages to overcome gender clichés and to put personal effort above the final result. Overcoming sociocultural labels is important for those at the crossroads of life. People who work in education, formal, non-formal or informal, have to help students, without any imposition, to make their choices on the basis of knowledge. It is their future and their future needs STEM.

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^[1]   Couso Lagarón, D., & Grimalt-Álvaro, C. (2019) “Raising self-efficacy in STEM education to provide opportunities for all”, In D. Couso Lagarón & C. Grimalt-Álvaro (Eds. ), STEM is for you. Experiences in raising self-efficacy from the STEAM 4U project (p 103). Barcelona: Servei de Publicacions. Autonomous University of Barcelona.

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Read here the complete ebook “STEM professionals to inspire young people” 

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