How does role-playing as a successful female scientist impact young girls’ persistence in STEM activities. Can assuming the identity of Marie Curie help close the gender gap in science education. What strategies can educators use to foster scientific interest in girls from an early age.
The Power of Pretend: Role-Playing Scientists to Boost STEM Engagement
A fascinating new study published in Psychological Science reveals an innovative approach to addressing the persistent gender gap in STEM fields. Researchers found that young girls who pretended to be accomplished female scientists like Marie Curie showed increased persistence when faced with challenging scientific tasks.
The experiment, conducted by a team from Cornell, Yale, and the University of Chicago, aimed to explore how role-playing could influence children’s engagement with science activities. By having girls assume the identity of Marie Curie, the researchers observed a marked improvement in their willingness to persist in a difficult “sink or float” prediction game.
The Origins of the Study
The inspiration for this research came from an unexpected source. During a lecture on the “Psychology of Imagination,” graduate student Reut Shachnai learned about the “Batman effect” – a phenomenon where children pretending to be superheroes demonstrated improved self-control. This sparked the idea to apply similar principles to encourage girls’ persistence in scientific endeavors.
Breaking Down the Experiment: How Role-Playing Impacts Scientific Persistence
The study involved 240 children aged 4-7, a crucial developmental period when children begin forming their sense of identity and capabilities. Participants were divided into three groups:
- Baseline group: Told they would be scientists for the day
- Story group: Learned about a gender-matched scientist (Marie Curie for girls, Isaac Newton for boys) before playing
- Pretend group: Assumed the identity of the scientist they learned about and were addressed as such during the game
All children participated in a “sink or float” computer game, predicting whether various objects would sink or float in water. The key metric was how long they persisted in playing the game after completing the initial round.
The Critical Age: When Gender Stereotypes Begin to Take Hold
Why focus on such young children? Research has shown that gender stereotypes about intelligence and scientific aptitude begin to form alarmingly early. According to Dr. Lin Bian, one of the study’s authors, “Children as early as age 6 start to think boys are smarter and better at science than girls.”
This finding underscores the importance of interventions at a young age to counteract these harmful stereotypes before they become deeply ingrained. By encouraging girls to see themselves as capable scientists from an early age, we may be able to prevent the development of limiting beliefs that could deter them from pursuing STEM careers later in life.
The Marie Curie Effect: How Female Role Models Inspire Young Scientists
The choice of Marie Curie as the role model for girls in this study was no coincidence. As a pioneering physicist and chemist who conducted groundbreaking research on radioactivity, Curie serves as a powerful example of female achievement in science. She remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two scientific fields (Physics and Chemistry).
By introducing young girls to Curie’s story and encouraging them to step into her shoes, the researchers provided a concrete example of female scientific success. This approach allows girls to envision themselves as capable scientists, potentially counteracting societal messages that might suggest otherwise.
The Impact of Gender-Matched Role Models
The study’s design, which paired girls with Marie Curie and boys with Isaac Newton, raises interesting questions about the importance of gender-matched role models in STEM fields. Do children respond more strongly to scientists of their own gender? How might this inform strategies for encouraging diversity in science education?
Beyond the Lab: Practical Applications for Educators and Parents
While the study’s findings are exciting, the real challenge lies in translating this research into practical strategies for encouraging girls’ interest in science. Here are some potential applications:
- Incorporate role-playing activities into science lessons
- Introduce students to diverse scientific role models
- Create opportunities for hands-on experimentation and discovery
- Encourage a growth mindset in approaching scientific challenges
- Provide mentorship programs connecting girls with female scientists
By implementing these strategies, educators and parents can help create an environment where girls feel empowered to pursue their scientific interests without limitations.
The Broader Impact: Addressing the STEM Gender Gap
The implications of this study extend far beyond the immediate effects on young girls’ persistence in a single game. By fostering early interest and confidence in science among girls, we may be laying the groundwork for increased female participation in STEM fields later in life.
Currently, many STEM fields employ at least three times more men than women. This disparity not only limits opportunities for talented individuals but also deprives these fields of diverse perspectives and approaches that could lead to innovative breakthroughs.
Long-Term Benefits of Early Intervention
Encouraging girls’ interest in science from a young age could have far-reaching effects:
- Increased representation of women in STEM careers
- More diverse research teams leading to broader scientific perspectives
- Breaking down persistent stereotypes about gender and scientific ability
- Inspiring future generations of female scientists
The Psychology of Pretend: Understanding the Power of Imagination
The success of the role-playing intervention in this study raises intriguing questions about the psychology of imagination and its impact on behavior. Why does pretending to be someone else have such a powerful effect on children’s persistence and performance?
One possibility is that role-playing allows children to temporarily step outside their own perceived limitations. By assuming the identity of a successful scientist, girls may feel freed from societal expectations or self-doubts that might otherwise hold them back.
The Cognitive Benefits of Pretend Play
Research has shown that pretend play offers numerous cognitive benefits for children, including:
- Enhanced problem-solving skills
- Improved language development
- Increased creativity and imagination
- Better emotional regulation
- Development of social skills and empathy
The current study suggests that these benefits may extend to academic persistence and engagement, particularly in challenging fields like science.
Future Directions: Expanding Research on Role-Playing in Education
While this study provides valuable insights into the potential of role-playing to encourage girls’ participation in science, it also opens up numerous avenues for future research. Some potential questions to explore include:
- How long do the effects of role-playing persist?
- Are certain types of role models more effective than others?
- Can similar interventions be effective for other underrepresented groups in STEM?
- How might role-playing interventions be scaled up for broader implementation in educational settings?
By continuing to investigate these questions, researchers can refine and expand upon the promising results of this initial study.
Challenges and Considerations
As with any educational intervention, it’s important to consider potential challenges and limitations:
- Ensuring that role-playing doesn’t reinforce harmful stereotypes
- Balancing the focus on individual scientists with broader scientific principles
- Adapting interventions for different age groups and cultural contexts
- Addressing potential resistance from educators or parents unfamiliar with role-playing techniques
Addressing these challenges will be crucial for developing effective, widely applicable strategies based on this research.
The Role of Parents: Fostering Scientific Curiosity at Home
While much of the focus on STEM education centers on schools and formal learning environments, parents play a crucial role in nurturing children’s scientific interests. The findings of this study suggest several strategies that parents can employ to encourage their daughters’ engagement with science:
- Introduce female scientist role models through books, movies, and real-life examples
- Encourage scientific exploration and experimentation at home
- Avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes about scientific ability
- Provide opportunities for hands-on STEM activities and projects
- Foster a growth mindset that emphasizes effort and persistence over innate ability
By creating a home environment that supports scientific curiosity and confidence, parents can complement and reinforce efforts made in educational settings.
The Power of Everyday Science
Parents need not be scientists themselves to foster scientific thinking in their children. Everyday activities can provide opportunities for scientific exploration:
- Cooking together and discussing chemical reactions
- Observing and documenting changes in nature
- Building and tinkering with household objects
- Asking open-ended questions about how things work
- Encouraging curiosity and critical thinking
By framing these activities as scientific endeavors and encouraging a sense of wonder about the world, parents can help cultivate a lifelong interest in science.
Beyond Gender: Addressing Intersectionality in STEM Education
While this study focused specifically on encouraging girls’ participation in science, it’s important to consider the broader context of diversity in STEM fields. The challenges faced by girls in science are often compounded for those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups or low-income backgrounds.
Future research and interventions should take an intersectional approach, considering how multiple aspects of identity interact to influence children’s engagement with science. This might involve:
- Developing role models that reflect diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds
- Addressing socioeconomic barriers to STEM participation
- Considering cultural differences in approaches to education and career choices
- Examining how different forms of bias and discrimination intersect in STEM fields
By taking a more comprehensive approach to diversity in science education, we can work towards creating truly inclusive STEM fields that benefit from a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
The Global Perspective: International Efforts to Close the STEM Gender Gap
The challenge of encouraging girls’ participation in science is not unique to any one country. Efforts to address the STEM gender gap are taking place around the world, with varying approaches and levels of success. Some notable international initiatives include:
- UNESCO’s STEM and Gender Advancement (SAGA) project
- The European Union’s Science with and for Society program
- India’s Vigyan Jyoti scheme to promote STEM education for girls
- African Girls Can Code Initiative
Studying these diverse approaches and their outcomes can provide valuable insights for developing effective strategies to encourage girls’ participation in science globally.
The Role of Media: Shaping Perceptions of Women in Science
While educational interventions like the role-playing activity in this study are crucial, it’s also important to consider the broader cultural context in which children develop their ideas about science and gender. Media representations of scientists play a significant role in shaping these perceptions.
Historically, portrayals of scientists in popular media have been predominantly male, reinforcing the stereotype that science is a masculine pursuit. However, recent years have seen some positive changes:
- Increased representation of female scientists in children’s books and educational materials
- Popular films and TV shows featuring women in STEM roles (e.g., Hidden Figures, The Big Bang Theory)
- Social media campaigns highlighting the achievements of women in science
- Documentaries and biopics about pioneering female scientists
These media representations can serve as powerful complements to educational interventions, providing girls with diverse examples of women succeeding in scientific fields.
The Impact of Positive Media Representation
Research has shown that exposure to positive media portrayals of female scientists can have significant effects on girls’ attitudes towards science:
- Increased interest in pursuing STEM careers
- Greater confidence in scientific abilities
- Reduced endorsement of negative stereotypes about women in science
- Expanded understanding of the diverse roles available in scientific fields
By continuing to advocate for and create media that accurately represents the diversity of the scientific community, we can reinforce the message that science is for everyone, regardless of gender.
The Economic Imperative: Why Closing the STEM Gender Gap Matters
Beyond issues of fairness and equality, there are compelling economic reasons to encourage greater participation of women in STEM fields. As technology continues to drive economic growth, ensuring a diverse and talented STEM workforce becomes increasingly crucial.
Some key economic considerations include:
- Addressing skills shortages in rapidly growing STEM industries
- Harnessing diverse perspectives to drive innovation
- Improving overall economic productivity through increased workforce participation
- Reducing wage gaps by encouraging women to enter high-paying STEM careers
By investing in strategies to encourage girls’ interest in science from an early age, we are not only promoting individual opportunities but also contributing to broader economic prosperity.
The Innovation Dividend
Research has consistently shown that diverse teams lead to greater innovation and problem-solving capabilities. In the context of scientific research and technological development, this diversity dividend can translate into:
- More comprehensive research questions and methodologies
- Increased consideration of diverse user needs in product development
- Novel approaches to longstanding scientific challenges
- Improved communication and collaboration within research teams
By fostering girls’ interest in science and working to close the STEM gender gap, we can help ensure that the scientific community of the future benefits from the full range of human talent and creativity.
2 Girls, 1 Stick (Short 2018)
- 2018
- 8m
YOUR RATING
ShortComedy
When two girls accidentally share the last pregnancy test in their small suburban town, they have to reconcile their differences to figure out which of them is actually pregnant.When two girls accidentally share the last pregnancy test in their small suburban town, they have to reconcile their differences to figure out which of them is actually pregnant.When two girls accidentally share the last pregnancy test in their small suburban town, they have to reconcile their differences to figure out which of them is actually pregnant.
- Director
- Scout Stolpmann
- Writers
- Anna Morris
- Nikki Mulholland
- Scout Stolpmann
- Stars
- Jocelyn Masse
- Kelly Estomo
- Brandon Christian
Photos8
Top cast
Jocelyn Masse
Kelly Estomo
Brandon Christian
Aaron Lebel
- Store Clerk
Rob Andino
- The Party Animal
- Director
- Scout Stolpmann
- Writers
- Anna Morris
- Nikki Mulholland
- Scout Stolpmann
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
User reviews
Be the first to review
Top picks
Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
Sign in
Details
- Release date
- April 24, 2018 (Canada)
- Country of origin
- Canada
- Language
- English
- Production company
- Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Technical specs
- Runtime
8 minutes
- Color
Related news
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
More to explore
Recently viewed
You have no recently viewed pages
First-Grade Girls Stick With Science After Pretending to be Marie Curie
Young girls around age six persisted longer on a challenging physics game when they assumed the role of a successful scientist.
(Monstera via Pexels)
Dan Vahaba
@DukeBrain
DURHAM, N.C. — Fake it ‘til you make it is true for children too, it turns out: Young girls embracing the role of a successful female scientist, like Marie Curie, persist longer at a challenging science game.
A new study, appearing Sept. 28 in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that science role-playing may help tighten the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers for women simply by improving their identity as scientists.
Frustrated by the gender gap in STEM, in which some fields employ at least three times more men than women, Cornell graduate student Reut Shachnai wanted to do something about it. Shachnai, who is now continuing her studies at Yale, said the idea to help foster young girls’ interest in science came to her during a lecture in a class she was taking on “Psychology of Imagination.
”
“We read a paper on how children pretending to be a superhero did better at self-control tasks (the so-called ‘Batman effect’),” said Tamar Kushnir, Ph.D., who taught the class and is now a Duke professor of psychology & neuroscience as well as a fellow author on the new paper. “Reut wondered if this would also work to encourage girls to persist in science.”
Along with Lin Bian, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, Shachnai and Kushnir devised an experiment to test if assuming the role of a successful scientist would improve girls’ persistence in a “sink or float” science game.
The game itself was simple yet challenging: a computer screen projected a slide with an object in the center hovering above a pool of water. Kids then had to predict whether that object — be it an anchor, basketball, balloon, or others — would sink or float. After making their choice, they learned if they made the right choice as they watched the object either plunge or stay afloat.
The researchers recruited 240 four- to seven-year-olds for the experiment, because this is around the time kids first develop their sense of identity and capabilities.
“Children as early as age 6 start to think boys are smarter and better at science than girls,” said Bian, whose previous work identified this critical period.
Boys and girls were assigned to three different groups: the baseline group were told they would be scientists for the day and then got to play the game.
Children in the “story” group received the same information, but also learned about the successes and struggles of a gender-matched scientist before playing the game. Boys heard about Isaac Newton, and girls were told about Marie Curie. They also had to take a two-question pop quiz after the story to make sure they were paying attention (they were).
Finally, children in the “pretend” group did all the same things as the “story” group, with one important twist: these children were told to assume the identity of the scientist they just learned about, and were referred to as such during the game (“What’s your prediction, Dr.
Marie?”).
All kids played at least one round of the game, after which they were asked if they wanted to play more or do something else. Once the kids tapped out, they were asked to rate how good they thought they were at the game and as a scientist.
No matter what group they were in, girls got the answers right just as often as boys — nearly 70% of the time. Boys, however didn’t really benefit from the stories or make-believe.
“Boys were kind of maxed out,” Kushnir said. “They were about at ceiling performance no matter what we did.”
Girls, on the other hand, benefited immensely from playing pretend.
Without being exposed to Marie Curie, girls called it quits after six trials. However, girls pretending to be Dr. Marie persisted twice as long at the sink-or-float game, playing just as much as the boys did (about 12 trials on average).
While there wasn’t much benefit to just hearing a story about Marie Curie for extending game play, it did boost girls’ ratings of themselves as science gamers.
Kushnir and her colleagues’ work poses many new questions for researchers, such as if children assuming the role of successful scientists matched by race and ethnicity might also benefit (the participants were mostly white in this study).
“Our findings suggest that we may want to take representation one step further,” Shachnai said. “Rather than merely hearing about role models, children may benefit from actively performing the type of actions they see role models perform. In other words, taking a few steps in the role model’s shoes, instead of merely observing her walk.”
Support for the research came from the US National Science Foundation (DRL-2145809; SL-1955280; BCS-1823658), and the Cornell Center for Social Sciences.
CITATION: “Walking In Her Shoes: Pretending To Be a Female Role Model Increases Young Girls’ Persistence in Science,” Shachnai, Reut, Kushnir, Tamar, Bian, Lin. Psychological Science. Sept. 28, 2022. DOI: 10.1177/09567976221119393
Horse on a stick – the new crazy sport of Finnish girls
sports
video
madness
05/02/2017
8912
Who would have thought that such a childish and almost forgotten fun as “riding” on a stick with a toy horse’s head could ever turn into a sport with full-fledged competitions.
This madness is called “Hobbyhorse” and is a kind of mixture of sports with choreographic riding without a horse. Check out the details of this woody plush madness and video from the Hobbyhorse competition below..
Riding a toy horse even has its own sports clubs, and as we wrote above, competitions that take place in several stages with plush horse heads
In the second stage, the girls will have to jump over obstacles with the same skate between their legs, and here they will have to show their sports skills 9
[region:bone:inline_1]
9 0002
This sport is currently very popular in Finland :bone:inline_2]
However, thanks to social media, riding a toy horse has already begun to spread beyond Finnish borders
Perhaps this madness will reach us soon
Hobbyhorse competition video
Share on social media networks
Search by text
Comments
Social comments Cackl e
Similar posts
25 unlucky girls who got stuck in strange places in the most ridiculous way
funny
07/17/2018
603022
Natalia Ogryzko – an athlete who cannot be distinguished from a man
madness
06/23/2014
275097
15 Graduates Whose Prom Outfits Were So Bad That The Fashion Police Are Looking For Them
funny
05/30/2018
274197
Anastasia Blinova – the same graduate with steel muscles who hit the Internet
people
07/05/2018
215708
Squeezing the world’s largest pimple ripening on the neck of a man for 20 years
most
11/12/2014
210879
It’s interesting
16 Powerful Shots from the Past That Will Awaken Your Passion for History
history
07/03/2023
214
15 things before and after cleaning that are just as satisfying as a freshly painted wall and flat tiles
before and after
07/03/2023
152
16 humorous women shared their bad photos showing that you don’t always have to be pretty
funny
07/03/2023
148
17 people who went to a flea market and left with things to envy
pieces
07/04/2023
115
16 Ridiculously Failed Designs Created by People Clearly Not in the Job
design
07/04/2023
105
a girl like a sparrow constantly jumps from stick to stick – Discuss
a girl like a sparrow constantly jumps from stick to stick – Discuss
ID
Igor Nadel
a girl like a sparrow constantly jumps from stick to stick
young woman
sparrow
stick
281
30
1
Answers
Nina Vernigorova
Girls don’t jump, but behave decently! And what you call girls for a long time already and do not correspond to this concept! And our cute sparrows jump from branch to branch! And you, sir, are rude and vulgar!
0
ID
Igor Nadel
finally .
.. the dead with scythes flock along the roads …
1
Natasha Kvasova
This happens because love is not in fashion now, unfortunately, they are just purely looking for satisfaction and that’s it, purely new sensations.
0
ID
Igor Nadel
yes, impressive… a new sensation…
1
SI
Svetlana Ivanova
Apparently such not worthy sticks come across! With a good stick, you don’t want to jump off!
0
Nina Evsyutina
She does not jump, she chooses on which branch to build her nest, i.e. HOUSE.
0
LM
Loreta Milko
If the stick breaks after the jump, then another one is naturally needed
0
ID
Igor Nadel
so the shovel handle will hold in length
1
Julia Kondrashova
A man – like a traffic cop, picked up a stick – got pleasure
0
ID
Igor Nadel
don’t go.
.. don’t take bribes…
1
Julia Kondrashova
then go without a liter
1
ID
Igor Nadel
will have to…wield a wand…
1
Julia Kondrashova
You are.. be careful with him…
1
ID
Igor Nadel
nothing… not the first time… no, I will always collect for a box of cognac…
1
Aleksey Grebelnik
So love is like a fire. You don’t throw a stick – it goes out)
0
EB
Elene Baghaturia
each reasoning according to his depravity
0
ID
Igor Nadel
it’s not about me.
.. but about you… you pecked at sticks…
1
EB
Elene Baghaturia
correct, all I do is jump
1
ID
Igor Nadel
pipets…
1
EB
Elene Baghaturia
if I could still jump
1
ID
Igor Nadel
that one’s own burden is so heavy…
1
Ramis Timerbulatov
you are a misogynist according to the questions
0
ID
Igor Nadel
judging by the questions, the audience is like this.
.. why do I need a wife… free is better…
1
Ramis Timerbulatov
well, on his deathbed, a glass of water will serve
1
ID
Igor Nadel
ha….I still take her and her offspring shit out of a glass of water…
1
Ramis Timerbulatov
well no so no
1
Yuri Peshy
and there are others….like my first wife
0
ID
Igor Nadel
send the link…
1
“Louiz Casati”
and the guy is poking around in the trash
0
ID
Igor Nadel
there is such a word picker, but she is a woman.
..
1
Pavel Paramonov
No one deprived her of the right to choose.
0
LT
Lyubov Todorovskaya
But not with vulgars like you.
0
ID
Igor Nadel
.I don’t force you… no matter how much you dream about it…
1
LT
Lyubov Todorovskaya
No one will rape you either, even though you dream.
1
***elya*** Elka
And what kind of eagle noticed this
0
NK
Nadezhda Kolesnikova
that’s why she and a girl.
..
0
ID
Igor Nadel
and all ass…ass
1
NK
Nadezhda Kolesnikova
sometimes the brain turns on…
1
ID
Igor Nadel
yes….then when no one sees
1
NK
Nadezhda Kolesnikova
life is easier this way…
1
ID
Igor Nadel
empty…
1
M.
Mila …
where are these sticks?!-))))
0
Natalie Sovetnikova
how do you care
0
ID
Igor Nadel
yes.
..but you can be used…
1
Natalie Sovetnikova
not a young boy, but some kind of garbage gets into your head, use yourself
1
ID
Igor Nadel
so I’m for…and why are you breaking…
1
Natalie Sovetnikova
yes you went to the forest..
1
ID
Igor Nadel
so I’m from there with an ax…
1
De
Denis
ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0
VN
Valentina Nikolaeva
hide your sticks
0
HH
Heyran Haciyeva
a man like .
