npj Science of Learning Community: Digest #27

npj Science of Learning Community presents research focussed on the mind, brain, and education.

In February 2022, a team of researchers discovered how young children perceive their ability to study STEM subjects with some interesting results. 

Encouraging more women to pursue a career in science has prompted programs with the aim of attracting girls’ participation in STEM activities at school. However, finding ways to motivate students’ decisions can often be dissuaded by many factors, one being stereotypes implying boys are better at science, technology, engineering, and maths than girls. In this new contribution, Allison Master (University of Houston), Andrew Meltzoff, and Sapna Cheryan (University of Washington), the United States, share why boys and girls make choices about what they want to study and how school communities can stop these misconceptions from being embedded in children’s psyche in Cracking the code: Encouraging girls in computer science and engineering