August 2021
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232 Reads
Women are the minority in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and degree programs in most countries throughout the world; however, reverse gender stereotyping is evident in countries such as Kuwait, UAE, Sweden, and Iran, where women outnumber men in STEM fields. In fact, in Kuwait, an Arabic country with gender segregation regulations, females have reversed the gender stereotype of the female minority in STEM fields. This research developed a STEM educational model for Arab/Persian Gulf regions to study causes of reversed gender stereotypes. The results showed 14 influential factors that cause males to develop Peter Pan syndrome, a condition in which a person lives in such a way that prevents them from developing valuable psychological maturity, meaning they never really grow up. Furthermore, 16 factors identified females as High-Ability Learners, meaning they readily develop abilities, interests, and psychological maturity. Male and female stereotypes lead to reverse gender outcomes in STEM fields. Introduction Although women are the minority in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and degree programs in most countries throughout the world, reversed gender stereotyping is evident in countries such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, and Iran, where women outnumber men in education and STEM fields. In fact, the 2020 report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that Kuwaiti females experience no gender-related academic barriers, with females comprising 60%-80% of college students in STEM programs and 81.7% of governmental STEM jobs [1]. Comparatively, 59% of male graduates majored in science fields, with only 20% of males graduating from STEM colleges [2]. To the best of our knowledge, no previous research has investigated factors that contribute to reversed gender stereotyping in Kuwait. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to identify factors that influence male and female performances and preferences in STEM education. This study employed sequential exploratory methodology to identify contributing elements. Interview results of a small sample of participants were used to build measurement tools for a broader population. This paper is in the QUAL stage, the first step of the sequential exploratory methodology. A STEM model framework was created to detect the connection between STEM model factors and the participants' experiences. Interview results revealed 14 influential factors as well as an educational gap between high school and college stages. Skills and individual characteristics were shown to determine student success rate, meaning students with characteristics of High-Ability Learners, were projected to succeed, while students with characteristics of Peter Pan syndrome, a condition in which a person lives in such a way that prevents them from developing valuable psychological maturity, were expected to face more challenges.