https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18759072
Review of Research in Education
March 2018, Vol. 42, pp. 226–254
DOI: 10.3102/0091732X18759072
© 2018 AERA. http://rre.aera.net
226
Chapter 10
(Un)Hidden Figures: A Synthesis of Research Examining
the Intersectional Experiences of Black Women and
Girls in STEM Education
DANYELLE T. IRELAND
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
KIMBERLEY EDELIN FREEMAN
CYNTHIA E. WINSTON-PROCTOR
KENDRA D. DELAINE
STACEY MCDONALD LOWE
KAMILAH M. WOODSON
Howard University
In this chapter, we argue that intersectionality is a theoretical and methodological
framework by which education researchers can critically examine why and how students
in STEM fields who are members of intersecting marginalized groups have distinctive
experiences related to their social identities, other psychological processes, and educational
outcomes. Taken separately, the bodies of education research focused on the experiences of
Black students and female students in STEM fields often render Black women and girls
“hidden figures” in that they have not sufficiently addressed their simultaneous racialized
and gendered experiences in educational contexts. Additionally, we find that the current
discourse on intersectionality is limited in that it does not attend to key psychological
processes associated with identity and the intersectional experience in STEM education. We
take a theoretical and methodological approach to examining intersectionality in STEM
education and provide a new interpretation of the literature on Black women and girls
in this social context. A synthesis of (N = 60) research studies revealed that (1) identity;
(2) STEM interest, confidence, and persistence; (3) achievement, ability perceptions, and
attributions; and (4) socializers and support systems are key themes within the experiences
of Black women and girls in STEM education. Our analysis also highlights the ways
that researchers have employed intersectionality to make the experiences of Black women
and girls in STEM education more visible, or “unhidden.” We discuss these findings
759072RRE XX X 10.3102/0091732X18759072Review of Research in EducationIreland et al.: Experiences of Black Women and Girls in STEM
research-article 2018