Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Psychological Science
Department
Psychology
First Reader/Committee Chair
Garcia, Donna
Abstract
I assessed the role of self-concept fit, as outlined in the SAFE model (Schmader & Sedikides, 2018), in Latina college students’ feelings toward pursuing a STEM course. Research on the underrepresentation of certain social groups in STEM has mainly focused on the role of goal fit. More specifically, researchers have found that portraying STEM environments as affording communal goals promotes goal fit, which is related to positive outcomes like interest, belonging, and favorable ratings for STEM courses, careers, and lab positions (Belanger et al., 2017; Belanger et al., 2020; Diekman et al., 2011). Because Latinas are socialized within an interdependent culture due to their ethnic and gender identities and the intersection of these identities (Madison & Trafimow, 2001; Galanti, 2003; Castillo et al., 2010), it is possible there is a perceived culture mismatch between Latinas’ interdependent self-concept and the independent culture of STEM (Diekman et al., 2010; Joshi et al., 2022). In the current project, I expected that participants who read about a STEM course with an interdependent culture, compared to participants who read about a STEM course with an independent culture, would report more self-concept fit, especially if the participants held a more interdependent self-concept. Additionally, I expected higher levels of self-concept fit to predict higher levels of interest and intent to persist in the course. Thus, I expected self-concept fit to mediate the relationship between course framing or culture and interest and intent to persist. Unexpectedly, course framing did not have a direct effect on self-concept fit, interest, or intent to persist. However, there was significant moderated mediation effect on both interest and intent to persist. Participants who held a more interdependent self-concept and read about a STEM course with an independent culture reported lower self-concept fit. Self-concept fit significantly predicted interest and intent to persist in the course.
Recommended Citation
Velasco, Maria Guadalupe, "THE CULTURAL MISMATCH BETWEEN LATINAS' INTERDEPENDENT SELF-CONCEPT AND THE INDEPENDENT CULTURE OF STEM" (2024). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 1989.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1989