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Doing science shows greater persistence in scientific activities than asking them to be a scientist, especially among girls. This leads to a larger scientific commitment than that described in terms of identities.
Marjorie Rhodes, badociate professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University and lead author of the study, said, "These effects apply especially to children who are the target of stereotypes suggesting that They might not be the type of those who succeed in science. case, girls. "
These results suggest that efforts to encourage girls to enter science – an area in which they are underrepresented – could benefit from describing science activities rather than encouraging children to adopt scientific identities, at least during early childhood.
Marjorie Rhodes, Associate Professor in the NYU Department of Psychology, said, "Gender disparities in scientific achievement are needed in early childhood. This research identifies an element of the children's environment that could be targeted to reduce early differences in scientific behavior among young children. "
"The messages that children often receive through television shows are centered on identity rather than action when it comes to science."
Popular programs refer to scientists more as a type of person than science as an activity. In other words, these television shows miss an opportunity to use language that encourages girls to study science more effectively.
Scientists conducted four studies of children aged four to nine. Here, children have received an introduction to science describing science as an identity ("Let's be scientists! Scientists are exploring the world and discovering new things!") Or action ("Let's do science!" Making science means explore the world and discover new things, things! ").
The children were then invited to make a new science game designed to illustrate the scientific method. Persistence was measured by how long they continued playing this game.
Notably, girls who were initially asked to "do science" were more persistent in later scientific play than girls who had been asked to "become scientists".
The effects of language on boys, on the other hand, were more variable. For example, one of their studies showed that boys under the age of five exhibited greater persistence in action-oriented language, while those over the age of five had higher levels of persistence. in a language oriented towards identity.
Overall, these findings suggest that identity-based language may be detrimental to the persistence of some children as they acquire new skills, particularly when cultural stereotypes lead children to ask themselves if they have the corresponding identity.
The study found that the use of verbs to talk about pro-social actions with children, such as asking them to "help" rather than "help", led to more supportive behavior after the children had experienced setbacks.
The study is published in the journal Child Development.
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