By Cindy Nebel

In earlier posts, we have included information about how the classroom environment can impact learning. Both visual and auditory “noise” can be distracting for students. Today I want to tell you about a research study that looked at background information a bit differently (1). In this study, researchers were examining the degree to which objects in a room could impact a feeling of belonging, another important factor for learning. In particular, researchers looked at the impact that stereotypical objects in a computer science classroom have on young women’s feeling of belonging and subsequent interest in a computer science career. Here is what they did…

Materials

The researchers first did some pre-testing and picked some very stereotypical objects that you might find in either a computer science classroom or in the dorm room of a computer science major. The objects that were selected for the study were:

• Star Trek poster

• Comics

• A Video game box

• Soda cans

• Junk food

• Electronics

• Computer parts

• Software

• Technical books and magazines

They then matched those objects with non-stereotypical items:

• Nature poster

• Art

• Water bottles

• Healthy snacks

• Coffee mugs

• General interest books and magazines

Methods

Each participant in the study was asked to come to a classroom in the computer science building on campus for a study in partnership with the Career Center about interest in STEM majors. The classroom contained either the stereotypical or non-stereotypical items and participants were told to ignore those items because the room was being used by another group of people. The researcher then left the room to get the materials and the participant was alone in the room for a minute before the researcher came back and had them fill out a questionnaire about their interest in computer science, how important they considered the field, and their confidence in their abilities. When they were finished, they were taken to the lobby and asked to try to recall the objects in the room and asked if they had guessed that the objects were part of the study. No one did.

So let’s pause for a moment and digest this. A single student sat in a room for one minute and filled out an inventory about their abilities and interests. Could random background items really influence their responses?

Results

In short, yes. The researchers weren’t surprised to find that women in the stereotypical classroom were less interested in computer science. There is plenty of research showing that women are less interested in STEM fields than men (CITE). But what they found was that women in the non-stereotypical room were much more interested in computer science… even more so than the men! For men, the background items made no difference, but for women, sitting in a room where the objects signaled that they didn’t belong. Women in the study rated themselves as less “like a computer science major” than men.

The researchers proceeded to conduct 3 more studies to dig into the reasons why this was happening. They found that the more the objects signaled masculinity to women, the less interested they were in joining a team or a company. In every study, they found that the reason masculinity was problematic for women was due to belonging. Women did not feel as though they would fit in and be accepted in the stereotypical computer science conditions.

Takeaway

What does this mean for you? It means that the objects you place in your classroom or your office are signaling a lot more than we realize to the people in the room. This has very clear implications for educators in STEM fields, but is also likely problematic for marginalized groups in any classroom. So take a second to look around you. How might your surroundings be interpreted? Do they represent all your students? Or are they stereotyped? By becoming more aware of the messages we’re sending with our choice of décor we can increase belonging and ultimately learning.

References:

1) Cheryan, S., Plaut, V. C., Davies, P. G., & Steele, C. M. (2009). Ambient belonging: how stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science. Journal of personality and social psychology, 97(6), 1045.