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Self Confidence and Diversity at MIT

Self Confidence and Diversity at MIT. Lizz Albany, Olivia Gierlich , Peter Lee, and Michael Plasmeier. How many of you think self-esteem is important? Do you think your academic self-esteem is directly affected by your gender or race?. Agenda.

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Self Confidence and Diversity at MIT

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  1. Self Confidence and Diversity at MIT Lizz Albany, Olivia Gierlich, Peter Lee, and Michael Plasmeier

  2. How many of you think self-esteem is important?Do you think your academic self-esteem is directly affected by your gender or race?

  3. Agenda • Introduction: Examining the self-esteem of MIT students • Literature Review: Current theories and what makes MIT different • Research Design: Distributing our Survey • Analysis: Examining the Data for Differences • Conclusion: Are MIT students really different?

  4. Importance of Examining Self-Esteem • For individuals • self-esteem affects performance in all aspects of life • At MIT • creating a sense of equality • In America • unemployment rates are higher for minorities • self confidence is an influential component of job interviews and other work-related interactions

  5. What Current Literature has Revealed • Two conflicting schools of thought: • Minorities have lower self-esteem • Stereotype Threat • Preferential Treatment • Minorities have equal or higher self-esteem • Academic Disidentification • Social Reference Theory • General literary conclusion: minorities will have the same or higher relative self-esteem, women will have lower self-esteem relative to their peers

  6. Hypothesis:Minorities and women at MIT have a lower relative self-esteem • Why is MIT different? • Prestigious Institution • Meritocracy Attitudes • Representative Demographics • Generous Financial Aid

  7. Methods

  8. Who is our target audience? • MIT Undergraduate population • Sent to: • Dorms • Sororities • Fraternities • Student Clubs • Goal: • Collect a varied sample from across campus

  9. What did we distribute? • Short electronic survey • Consent Form • Academic Self-Confidence • Demographics • Gender Stigma • Racial Stigma

  10. Academic Self Concept (ASC) • Examine effects on academic self-concept • Created by Liu and Wang of Nanyang University in Singapore • 7 Point scale • Sample: “I am usually interested in my schoolwork” or “I am always waiting for the lessons to end” • Positive and Negative questions

  11. Stigma Consciousness Questionnaires (SCQ) • Questions by Pinel from UT Austin • Asks about perceptions of discrimination • Sample: “Stereotypes about women have not affected me personally” or “Most men have a lot more sexist thoughts than they actually express”

  12. Results

  13. Hypotheses • H0 = ASCMale= ASCFemale • H1 = ASCMale≠ ASCFemale • H0 = ASCCaucasian= ASCAfrican American = ASCAsian=ASCHispanic=ASCOther • H1 = ASCCaucasian≠ ASCAfrican American ≠ ASCAsian≠ ASCHispanic≠ ASCOther

  14. Males have a higher academic self concept than females t: -4.59; p < .0001

  15. Males and females perceive similar amounts of stigma regarding their gender t = -1.35; p = .175

  16. Each race has a similar academic self concept… F = 1.03; p = .387

  17. …but African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics perceived a racial stigmavs Caucasian base line F=7.53; p < .0001

  18. Greek participation made no difference in academic self concept t = .1696, p = .86

  19. ASC Scale Regression

  20. SCQ Gender Regression African American

  21. SCQ Race Regression

  22. Summary of Results • Males have a higher academic self concept • Gender stigma consciousness is largely the same • Race stigma consciousness exists at MIT, but race does not have a statistically significant effect on academic self concept

  23. Discussion

  24. Outcome • There is no statistically significant difference to support our hypothesis • MIT is not unique in these parameters

  25. Implications • Academic environment may not impact a student’s academic self confidence as compared to their peers, particularly those of a different race or gender • Other factors, such as socioeconomic status, may override the impact of academic environment

  26. Limitations • Our survey was conducted on a small scale • Responses represented <10% of the student population • We did not ask for parameters like GPA • We did not know the source schools of the prior research, preventing direct comparisons with them

  27. Next Steps • MIT on a larger, more comprehensive scale • MIT vs. a less prestigious institution • MIT vs. another prestigious institution

  28. Questions?

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