Event Information
Blended Content
Recorded SessionPart 1 (10 minutes): What does belonging mean?
-Interactive component using Poll Everywhere: how do you know that you belong somewhere? What happens when you feel like you don’t belong somewhere?
-Belonging means feeling that you are a valued, included, and accepted member of a group
-Our past research shows that girls feel a lower sense of belonging than boys beginning in Grade 6 and continuing through high school.
Part 2 (15 minutes): Let’s have a data party!
-We will present a few very simple and easy-to-understand graphs showing gender differences in students’ sense of belonging in computer science at different grade levels, as well as findings from our experimental studies showing how to increase girls’ sense of belonging in computer science classes.
-When middle school girls believe that girls and boys are equally likely to enjoy a computer science class, they feel a greater sense of belonging in that class.
-When middle school girls believe there will be equal numbers of girls and boys in a computer science class, they feel a greater sense of belonging in that class.
-When the classroom environment is decorated with inclusive materials, high school girls feel a greater sense of belonging.
Part 3 (20 minutes): Community of practice
-Teachers will talk in small groups about what they noticed and what they wondered in response to the research. They will share ideas and tips about how they have worked to increase belonging and inclusion in their classes.
Part 4 (15 minutes): Q&A and Large Group Discussion
-Members of the small groups will share their key takeaways from the session.
-Teachers can ask questions of the group and/or the presenter.
-Teachers will write down an action item for how they plan to promote belonging in their classes.
Master, A., Alexander, T., Thompson, J., Fan, W., Meltzoff, A. N., & Cheryan, S. (In press). Causes and consequences of stereotypes: Interest stereotypes reduce adolescent girls’ motivation to enroll in computer science classes. Journal of Research on Technology in Education [Special issue: Computer science for all].
Master, A., Cheryan, S., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2016). Computing whether she belongs: Stereotypes undermine girls' interest and sense of belonging in computer science. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108, 424-437.
Master, A., Tang, D., Forsythe, D. H., Alexander, T., Cheryan, S., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2023). Gender equity and motivational readiness for computational thinking in early childhood. Early Childhood Research Quarterly [Special issue: Examining computational thinking in early childhood], 64, 242-254.
Master, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Cheryan, S. (2021). Gender stereotypes about interests start early and cause gender disparities in computer science and engineering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118, e2100030118.
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