Patterns of ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness and associations with science, technology, engineering, and math engagement and perceived barriers: A latent class analysis of youth of color.

Objectives: Despite the well-documented scholarship highlighting ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and critical consciousness (CC) as promotive of positive academic outcomes, little research has explored what role these cultural assets may play in shaping science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) engagement and perceptions of barriers to STEM for youth of color. This work explored relations between racially minoritized youths' patterns of ERI and CC in association with STEM engagement and perceptions of STEM career and educational barriers.

Method: Latent class analysis and analysis of variance were used with a predominately Black and Latinx sample ( = 265, = 15.

Pathways to Youth Activism Orientation in STEM: the Role of STEM Classroom Inclusivity and Motivational Beliefs.

Activism around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a critical task to promote social justice and to develop sustainable and effective solutions to global problems (e.g., climate change) in contemporary society.

A preliminary investigation of longitudinal associations between ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness among Black and Latinx youth.

Objectives: In order for parents, educators, and communities to support racially/ethnically minoritized youth to resist and heal from White supremacy, it is important to examine how youths' beliefs about their ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and critical consciousness (CC) around racism inform one another. Despite this need, limited empirical research examines whether these processes are related across adolescence.

Method: The present two-wave longitudinal study investigates whether ERI content (i.

The relations between growth mindset, motivational beliefs, and career interest in math intensive fields in informal STEM youth programs.

Past research has shown that growth mindset and motivational beliefs have an important role in math and science career interest in adolescence. Drawing on situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), this study extends these findings by investigating the role of parental motivational beliefs (e.g.

Developmental Trajectories of Adolescents' Math Motivation: The Role of Mindset and Perceptions of Informal STEM Learning Site Inclusivity.

Motivation is a key factor in engagement, achievement, and career choices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While existing research has focused on student motivation toward math in formal school programs, new work is needed that focuses on motivation for those involved in informal STEM programs. Specifically, the role of math mindset and perceived inclusivity of informal STEM sites (to those of varying gender and ethnic backgrounds) on longitudinal trajectories of adolescents' math motivation has not been explored.

Reciprocal Associations Between Science Efficacy, STEM Identity and Scientist Career Interest Among Adolescent Girls within the Context of Informal Science Learning.

Limited research has explored the longitudinal pathway to youth career interests via identity and efficacy together. This study examined the longitudinal associations between science efficacy, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) identity, and scientist career interest among girls who are historically considered as an underrepresented group among scientists. The sample included 308 girls (M  = 15.

New directions in ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness development: Contextual considerations in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Though ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness have often been studied in isolation, numerous racialized and sociopolitical events that occurred during COVID-19 offer a unique opportunity to study how youth of color's understandings of ethnicity and race overlap with their understandings of racial inequality. This review article examines how families, schools, and digital sociopolitical contexts facilitated youth of color's understandings of their own racial self-concept while simultaneously shaping the experiences with and resistance to racial inequality. I conclude with a call to scholars to consider the role of context in the integrated study of these two salient developmental processes in the lives of youth of color.

Preparing the Next Generation for STEM: Adolescent Profiles Encompassing Math and Science Motivation and Interpersonal Skills and Their Associations With Identity and Belonging.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers need both motivation and interpersonal skills in STEM disciplines. The aims of the study were to identify clusters of adolescents who vary in math and science motivation and interpersonal skills and to explore what factors are related to membership in a high math and science motivation and interpersonal skills cluster. Participants included 467 adolescents (312 female;  = 15.

The importance of trust in the relation between COVID-19 information from social media and well-being among adolescents and young adults.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have been exposed to distressing content about COVID-19 without knowing whether they can trust such content. This indicates a need to examine the effects of social media use on mental health and well-being. Existing research provides an inconsistent impression of such effects.

Interest, Mindsets and Engagement: Longitudinal Relations in Science Orientations for Adolescents in Informal Science Programs.

Little is known about the factors that influence engagement for adolescents participating in informal youth science programs. This study examined longitudinal reciprocal associations between adolescents' science engagement, interest, and growth mindset. Participants were adolescents (M = 15.

Promoting Diverse Youth's Career Development through Informal Science Learning: The Role of Inclusivity and Belonging.

Little research has examined the associations between perceived inclusivity within informal science learning sites, youth program belonging and perceptions of program career preparation. This study explored relations between these factors at three timepoints (T1 = start of program, T2 = 3 months and T3 = 12 months after start). Participants were a diverse sample of 209 adolescents participating in STEM youth programs within informal science learning sites situated in the United States and United Kingdom (70% females: M  = 15.

The roles of school racial climate and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classroom climate in adolescents' gender and racial peer inclusion and attribution decisions.

Adolescents use social identities and reasoning to make peer inclusion and attribution decisions. School climate plays a role in these decisions. Thus, this study analyzed how school racial climate and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classroom climate were associated with the choices of adolescents (N = 294; M = 15.

Critical Action and Ethnic-Racial Identity: Tools of Racial Resistance at the College Transition.

This study examines the reciprocal relationship between critical action and ethnic-racial identity (ERI) exploration in Black college students using a longitudinal cross-lagged model. Participants were Black students (N = 237; M  = 18.2; 74% female) from a longitudinal study of college transition.

Assessing adolescents' critical health literacy: How is trust in government leadership associated with knowledge of COVID-19?

This study explored relations between COVID-19 news source, trust in COVID-19 information source, and COVID-19 health literacy in 194 STEM-oriented adolescents and young adults from the US and the UK. Analyses suggest that adolescents use both traditional news (e.g.

Understanding Parents' Roles in Children's Learning and Engagement in Informal Science Learning Sites.

Informal science learning sites (ISLS) create opportunities for children to learn about science outside of the classroom. This study analyzed children's learning behaviors in ISLS using video recordings of family visits to a zoo, children's museum, or aquarium. Furthermore, parent behaviors, features of the exhibits and the presence of an educator were also examined in relation to children's behaviors.

Latinx and Black young adults' pathways to civic/political engagement.

Objectives: Latinx and Black young adults' experiences with the U.S. political system have been contentious.