GSE/RES: Adolescents' Identification with Televised Portrayals of Male and Female Scientists

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI

Investigators

Abstract

This study has two main purposes. First, it will assess specific character attributes, gender stereotyped and gender counter-stereotyped attributes as well as attributes known to promote identification with televised characters, for scientists portrayed in television programs popular among middle school-aged children. Second, the proposed study will examine middle school-aged children's identification with specific attributes featured in portrayals of scientist characters in selected television programs. This three-year research project uses a content analysis to characterize the gender stereotyped and gender counter-stereotyped attributes as well as attributes known to promote identification with television characters as found in televised portrayals of scientist characters. In addition, this research project uses an audience study to examine children's identification with specific attributes of televised portrayals of scientist characters. The content analysis will examine scientist characters in 10 randomly selected episodes of 14 television programs found to be popular among middle school-aged children: Dexter's Laboratory, Magic School Bus, Kim Possible, CSI, CSI-Miami, CSI-New York, Danny Phantom, The X Files, Bill Nye The Science Guy, MythBusters, Jimmy Neutron, The Simpsons, Friends, and DragonFly TV. Participants in the audience study will be approximately 350, 12- to 14-year-old children enrolled in 7th grade in three southwestern Michigan regional middle schools. Participants will watch six television programs selected based on the extent to which gender stereotyped and gender counter-stereotyped attributes as well as character attributes known to promote identification with televised characters, are exhibited by the scientist characters. The audience study will assess students' identification with these attributes as found in televised portrayals of scientist characters. The students' identification with these attributes will be correlated with measures of their attitudes toward science, attitudes toward women in science, perceptions of gender roles, science self-concept, and future interest in science. The intellectual merits of the proposed research are to 1) document the public image of scientists as represented in television programs popular among middle school-aged children and 2) investigate children's identification with specific character attributes found in scientist characters shown in these television programs. The proposed research expands knowledge of the factors that encourage girls' participation in SET and explores ways of influencing girls' perceptions of SET careers so that girls view SET careers as viable, and subsequently, are more likely to consider future careers in SET. The proposed research also is important for expanding knowledge of the factors that expand boys' view of SET in ways that make them more accepting of girls and women in SET, thus improving the recruitment and retention of women in SET. The broader impacts of the proposed research focus on increasing the participation of women in SET and address the societal and cultural changes needed to encourage girls' participation in SET. The broader impacts of the research findings are as follows: 1) inform the development of effective instructional materials (videotapes, CD/ROMS, films, and web sites) designed to increase girls' participation in SET; 2) provide media practitioners with research-based information to support the development of programs in the popular media (television, films, computer games) that promote positive public images of SET professionals; 3) promote the use of media models as role models to encourage girls in SET; 4) integrate research on the influence of the mass media as socialization agents with instruction and curriculum development in science education; and 5) identify new strategies for expanding and diversifying the SET workforce.