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Black girls speak STEM: Counterstories of informal and formal learning experiences

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Natalie King at Georgia State University
Natalie King
Rose M. Pringle
Rose M. Pringle
Rose M. Pringle
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Abstract

This study presents the interpretations and perceptions of Black girls who participated in I AM STEM—a community- based informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program. Using narrative inquiry, participants generated detailed accounts of their informal and formal STEM learning experiences. Critical race meth- odology informed this research to portray the dynamic and complex experiences of girls of color, whose stories have historically been silenced and misrepresented. The data sources for this qualitative study included individual inter- views, student reflection journals, samples of student work, and researcher memos, which were triangulated to produce six robust counterstories. Excerpts of the counterstories are presented in this article. The major findings of this research revealed that I AM STEM ignited an interest in STEM learn- ing through field trips and direct engagement in scientific phenomena that allowed the girls to become agentic in con- tinuing their engagement in STEM activities throughout the year. This call to awaken the voices of Black girls to speak casts light on their experiences and challenges as STEM learners—from their perspectives. The findings confirm that when credence and counterspaces are given to Black girls, they are poised to reveal their luster toward STEM learning. This study provided a space for Black girls to reflect on their STEM learning experiences, formulate new understandings, and make connections between the informal and formal learning environments within the context of their everyday lives, thus offering a more holistic approach to STEM learn- ing that occurs across settings and over a lifetime.
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King, N. S. & Pringle, R. M. (2018). Black girls speak STEM: Counterstories of informal
and formal learning experiences. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1-31.
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... As a result, efforts toward transformative science learning experiences utilize critical frameworks. For example, King and Pringle (2019) used the framework of critical race feminism and counterspaces to evaluate how Black girls access, engage in, and respond to a community-based STEM program. Their findings suggest that field trips and board games like Operation supported students' interest in STEM. ...
... However, not all assessments are written considering the complexities of students' lives beyond the classroom. The evaluation tools within K-12 science learning spaces rely on settled hierarchies, or systemic oppression has impacted who is regarded as a scientist and what content qualifies as science (Mensah & Jackson, 2018;King & Pringle, 2019). These learning assessment techniques can feel further stigmatizing due to the ways they support, perpetuate, and uphold larger systems of oppression, biases due to endemic racism, and deficit-based approaches to learning assessments (Atwater, 2000;Crenshaw, 1991;Harris, 1993;Norman et al., 2001;B. ...
... Additionally, the problem exists that standardized assessments do not consider the collaborative nature of the SEPs. Along those lines, SEPs have been marginalizing and exclusionary to peoples and communities who are not from Eurocentric, Westernized, and colonial perspectives (Aschbacher et al., 2010;Calabrese Barton & Yang, 2000;King & Pringle, 2019;Leonardo & Broderick, 2011;National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2024). ...
“Because That’s What Scientists Do…. They Like to Make Their Own Stuff”: Exploring Perceptions of Self as Science-Doers Using the Black Love Framework
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  • Mar 2025
This paper critiques traditional science assessments and advocates for reform-based learning that supports culturally diverse students, aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). While NGSS promotes collaborative, inquiry-driven practices, these are often difficult to assess through traditional high-stakes tests, which tend to reinforce systemic biases and marginalize students from non-dominant backgrounds. We examine the Lotions and Potions: Science through Black Hair Care curriculum, which uses a culturally sustaining approach, allowing students to respond flexibly in assessments. This approach enables students to participate fully in science practices without needing to conform to dominant cultural norms. Our findings highlight the benefits of culturally sustaining assessments that foster student voice, support diverse sense-making, and challenge exclusionary norms in science education. By positioning students as active knowledge builders who can draw on their cultural identities, such frameworks offer a more inclusive, empowering science learning experience. Future research will expand this model by refining pedagogical practices and curriculum design, particularly through culturally relevant applications of NGSS Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to further inclusivity in science and engineering education.
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... Research has identified reasons for the underrepresentation of certain racial and gender groups in STEM fields, pointing to issues in higher Education and K-12 Education [20]. For example, studies show that Black and Latinx students in K-12 Education often lack highly qualified teachers and access to advanced math and science courses. ...
... To this end, informal learning experiences outside school have contributed to underrepresented students' interest in STEM fields [20]. Our research sought to explore the aspects of STEM learning among middle school UUREM girls. ...
... Informal learning settings, like STEM camps, can be especially beneficial for Black girls, who often succeed in out-ofschool contexts [1,21]. These settings allow UUREM girls to connect with peers and role models from similar backgrounds, providing support and inspiration [9,20]. Studies on Black middle school girls' science engagement [7], afterschool STEM clubs [37], and community-centered programs [17] emphasize the importance of diverse experiences in shaping science identities. ...
Girls leading the conversation: Harnessing the potential of podcasting for informal and project-based learning
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  • Jan 2025
This study aimed to explore the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) principles in informal STEM education, focusing on the experiences of Underrepresented Racially Minoritized (UUREM) girls during a week-long residential STEM summer camp. Utilizing a single case study design, the researchers investigated how PBL facilitates engagement and understanding of STEM concepts through podcasting activities. Participants engaged in immersive exploration, integrating their research on podcasting and interviewing women in STEM fields. Data were collected from participants' podcast recordings, scripts, and collaborative chat logs. The study revealed insights into collaboration, creativity, scriptwriting, recording, and editing among student groups. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of fostering teamwork and enhancing students' creative and technical capabilities in project-based learning environments. Integrating PBL within informal learning environments is crucial for supporting UUREM girls in STEM education. This approach not only fosters engagement but also promotes an inclusive atmosphere where diverse perspectives are valued. The study advocates for the expansion of PBL initiatives in informal learning contexts, emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion. By empowering UUREM girls through targeted STEM programs, educators can cultivate a generation of confident and capable learners prepared to thrive in STEM fields.
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... According to the gender similarities hypothesis and situated expectancy-value theory, gender differences should decrease over historical time as gender equality increases Else-Quest, Hyde, and Linn 2010;Hyde, 2014). Given the recent push to increase women and girls' participation in STEM, including math (e.g., King and Pringle 2019;Master et al. 2017), it is possible that gender differences in math value beliefs have weakened over the last few decades. However, gender differences in adolescents' math ability self-concepts have persisted over time. ...
... Thus, we found some evidence of historical differences in which gender differences in adolescents' math interest value beliefs have shifted from being higher among boys than girls in the 1990s to being similar among boys and girls in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Such differences may have emerged in part due to school, national, and community pushes to encourage girls in math or related pursuits (e.g., coding, engineering) (e.g., King and Pringle 2019;Master et al. 2017) as argued in the gender similarities hypothesis (Hyde, 2014). ...
Girls and Boys Typically Have Similar Math Value Beliefs: Replication Evidence Across Historical Time, High School, and Racial/Ethnic Groups
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Individuals' math value beliefs are theorized to influence who persists in STEM. However, the existing findings on gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs are inconsistent. The goal of this study was to use three existing datasets to help clarify when gender differences emerge for high school adolescents and for whom (i.e., adolescents across historical time, grade level, and race/ethnicity). Specifically, we examined the extent to which gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs (i.e., interest, utility, and attainment) replicated (1) across three datasets spanning the 1990s to 2010s, (2) from 9th–12th grade, and (3) within each of the four largest U.S. racial/ethnic groups (i.e., Asian, Black, Latine, and White adolescents). Methods We tested these aims with three existing longitudinal U.S. datasets: the California Achievement Motivation Project (CAMP) (n = 8855), the Childhood and Beyond Study (CAB) (n = 582), and the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) (n = 21,000). Students were in high school (9th–12th grade) and half were girls (49%–53%). All three datasets included measures with the same or similar math value belief items, making conceptual replication possible. Results and Conclusions Overall, we did not find strong evidence for meaningful gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs overall. We did find meaningful gender differences in the oldest data set (CAB). When examined within each racial/ethnic group, we found no evidence of gender differences in math value beliefs among Black or Latine adolescents, but some differences among Asian and White adolescents. The findings align with the gender similarities hypothesis, suggesting adolescent girls and boys had similar math value beliefs.
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... This is because informal experiences build students' interest and commitment to STEM fields in a more natural and personal way. For example, a student's exploration of technological devices in daily life, conversations with their family on scientific topics, or involvement in STEM-themed hobby projects can increase their curiosity about these fields (King & Pringle, 2019). Formal education, on the other hand, is often more limited and structured, and while it may provide students with STEM skills, it may have a limited impact on how to apply these skills in the real world. ...
Understanding STEM Career Interest: STEM Experiences, Stereotypes, Self-efficacy, and Sense of Belonging
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Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literature has provided an examination of demographic variables for understanding career interest. However, in addition to these variables, there is a research gap on the impact of experiences within STEM, which are related to self-efficacy, stereotypes, and sense of belonging as it pertains to career interest. Based on this, the predictors of STEM career interest of high school students (n = 507) were investigated. The results of the study showed that STEM experiences, math and science self-efficacy, and sense of belonging in STEM were positive predictors of STEM career interest. However, gender or socioeconomic status does not significantly predict STEM career interests. In addition, stereotypes regarding STEM were a negative predictor of STEM career interest. Based on the results, implications for strengthening the STEM pipeline are drawn.
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... The S-STEM program aimed to support the development of a sense of belonging for community college STEM transfer students with high financial need. Previous research on SIPs has found evidence of counterspace processes occurring in similar environments (King and Pringle 2019;Margherio et al. 2023). Likewise, the Scholars in our study, whose identities and experiences are to varying extents underrepresented in STEM, all described experiencing at least two of the three counterspace processes as they developed a sense of belonging post-transfer. ...
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  • Jan 2025
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... According to researchers, mathematics is often the silent letter in the STEM disciplines when it comes to STEM education (Shaughnessy, 2013), especially in informal STEM learning (Blanchard et al., 2020). Thus, many of the positive impacts reported about informal STEM learning environments (e.g., Broder et al., 2023;De Lira et al., 2022;King & Pringle, 2019;Kudaisi, 2025;Reid-Griffin, 2019) tend to come from studies where the STEM focus is primarily on the other STEM disciplines (Blanchard et al., 2020). Thus, a gap in the research exists on the impacts of informal STEM learning environments that explicitly integrate mathematics (e.g., Aklman et al., 2019). ...
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This study reports on an integrated steM camp that aimed to improve middle school students’ STEM identity, interest in STEM careers, and interest in environmental issues. Conjecture mapping was used as a tool to design the camp and to investigate if, how, and why the program features influenced the mediating processes and if, how, and why the mediating processes influenced the program outcomes. This study is grounded in design-based research and uses data from observations, interviews, surveys, facilitator reflections, and a group interview to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that most of the program features facilitated the intended mediating processes, which in turn influenced the intended outcomes. We also found that participants’ interest in STEM careers, interest in environmental issues, and interest in STEM identity increased. The findings of this study and the revised conjecture map advance the field’s understanding of how to improve middle school students’ STEM-related outcomes through an integrated steM camp. The findings also speak to some of the challenges of this designed environment and provide recommendations to address those challenges.
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Making Space in Support of Youths' Rightful Presence in Informal STEM Learning
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The Emotional Valence of Hyperrationality in STEM Learning: Reinscriptions and Contestations of Coloniality
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Researching Race in Mathematics Education
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Background Within mathematics education research, policy, and practice, race remains undertheorized in relation to mathematics learning and participation. Although race is characterized in the sociological and critical theory literatures as socially and politically constructed with structural expressions, most studies of differential outcomes in mathematics education begin and end their analyses of race with static racial categories and group labels used for the sole purpose of disaggregating data. This inadequate framing is, itself, reflective of a racialization process that continues to legitimize the social devaluing and stigmatization of many students of color. I draw from my own research with African American adults and adolescents, as well as recent research on the mathematical experiences of African American students conducted by other scholars. I also draw from the sociological and critical theory literatures to examine the ways that race and racism are conceptualized in the larger social context and in ways that are informative for mathematics education researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. Purpose To review and critically analyze how the construct of race has been conceptualized in mathematics education research, policy, and practice. Research Design Narrative synthesis. Conclusion Future research and policy efforts in mathematics education should examine racialized inequalities by considering the socially constructed nature of race.
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Teaching science to every child: Using culture as a starting point: Third edition
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Ambitious and encouraging, this text for prospective and practicing elementary and middle school science teachers, grounded in contemporary science education reform, is a valuable resource that supplies concrete approaches to support the science and science-integrated engineering learning of each and every student. At its core, it is based in the view that science is its own culture, consisting of unique thought processes, specialized communication traditions, and distinctive methods and tools. Using culture as a starting point and connecting it to effective instructional approaches, the authors describe how a teacher can make science accessible to students who are typically pushed to the fringe-especially students of color and English language learners. Written in a conversational style, the authors capture the tone they use when they teach their own students. The readers are recognized as professional partners in the shared efforts to increase access, reduce inequities, and give all students the opportunities to participate in science.
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