Conclusion
This study found that intervention videos have a significant positive effect in challenging gender bias in STEM fields. By triggering emotional resonance and changing cognitive attitudes, intervention videos can effectively enhance public support for gender equality, especially in large-scale dissemination and cross-cultural communication, and the video form of visual narrative demonstrates the unique advantage of breaking through language barriers and enhancing resonance. However, some limitations remain regarding audience acceptance, dissemination scope and long-term impact. Further analyses show that video content with a straightforward narrative, highlighting female scientist role models and emphasising gender equality, is more likely to be recognised and disseminated by viewers. With the development of new media technology and increased attention to gender issues, intervention videos will play a more important role in promoting women’s participation and development in STEM fields.
Reference
Data
Youtube Data Analysis.
Youtube Content Analysis.
Amarasekara, I. and Grant, W.J. (2019) ‘Exploring the YouTube science communication gender gap: A sentiment analysis’, Public Understanding of Science, 28(1), pp. 68–84.
Allport, G.W. (1954) The nature of prejudice. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Baker, D. and Leary, R. (1995) Letting girls speak out about science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(1), pp. 3–27.
Brainard, S.G. and Carlin, L. (1998) A six‐year longitudinal study of undergraduate women in engineering and science. Journal of Engineering Education, 87(4), pp. 369–375.
Byrne, E.M. (1993) Women and science: The snark syndrome. London: Falmer Press.
Carnes, M., Devine, P.G., Baier Manwell, L., Byars-Winston, A., Fine, E., Ford, C.E., Forscher, P., Isaac, C., Kaatz, A., Magua, W., Palta, M. and Sheridan, J. (2015) The effect of an intervention to break the gender bias habit for faculty at one institution: a cluster randomized, controlled trial. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 90(2), pp. 221–230.
Clark Blickenstaff, J. (2005) Women and science careers: leaky pipeline or gender filter? Gender and Education, 17(4), pp. 369–386.
Cole, N.S. (1997) The ETS gender study: how females and males perform in educational settings. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Cronin, C. and Roger, A. (1999) Theorizing progress: Women in science, engineering, and technology in higher education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36(6), pp. 637–661.
Eagly, A.H. and Chaiken, S. (1993) The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
Eizmendi-Iraola, M. and Peña-Fernández, S. (2022) Gender stereotypes make women invisible: The presence of female scientists in the media. Social Sciences, 12(1), p. 30.
Geena Davis Institute (n.d.) Portray Her 2.0: An Analysis of 15 Years of Women in STEM On-Screen, 2007–2022. Geenadavisinstitute.org. [Online]. [Accessed 23 April 2025]. Available from: https://geenadavisinstitute.org/research/portray-her-2-0-an-analysis-of-15-years-of-women-in-stem-on-screen-2007-2022/.
Hallinen, J. (2022) STEM | Description, Development, & Facts. Encyclopædia Britannica. [Online]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/STEM-education.
Hasan Gürkan, Biga, N.T. and Ege, Ö. (2024) Breaking the borders: Gender dynamics in STEM portrayals in Turkish Netflix series. Journal of European Studies, 54(3).
Hazarika, D., Konwar, G., Deb, S. and Bora, D.J. (2020) 'Sentiment analysis on Twitter by using TextBlob for natural language processing', Proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Multidisciplinary Applied Research and Technology (ICRMAT), 24, pp. 63–67.
Hyde, J.S., Laslett, B., Kohlstedt, S.G., Longino, H. and Hammonds, E. (1996) Meta-analysis and the psychology of gender differences. In: Gender and Scientific Authority. University of Chicago Press.
ITE (2024) Over one million women now in STEM occupations but still account for 29% of STEM workforce. Theiet.org. [Online]. Available from: https://www.theiet.org/media/press-releases/press-releases-2024/press-releases-2024-january-march/8-march-2024-over-one-million-women-now-in-stem-occupations-but-still-account-for-29-of-stem-workforce. J
ackson, S.M., Hillard, A.L. and Schneider, T.R. (2014) Using implicit bias training to improve attitudes toward women in STEM. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 17(3), pp. 419–438.
Kelly, A. (1985) The construction of masculine science. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 6(2), pp. 133–154.
Leeds Animation Workshop (2025) Leeds Animation Workshop. Leedsanimation.org.uk. [Online]. [Accessed 11 March 2025]. Available from: https://www.leedsanimation.org.uk/.
Lewis, N.A., Jr, Sekaquaptewa, D. and Meadows, L.A. (2019) Modeling gender counter-stereotypic group behavior: a brief video intervention reduces participation gender gaps on STEM teams. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 22(3), pp. 557–577.
Mayer, R.E. and Moreno, R. (2002) Animation as an aid to multimedia learning. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), pp. 87–99.
Moss-Racusin, C.A., Molenda, A.K. and Cramer, C.R. (2015) Can evidence impact attitudes? Public reactions to evidence of gender bias in STEM fields. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39(2), pp. 194–209.
Moss-Racusin, C.A., Pietri, E.S., Hennes, E.P., Dovidio, J.F., Brescoll, V.L., Roussos, G. and Handelsman, J. (2018) Reducing STEM gender bias with VIDS (video interventions for diversity in STEM). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 24(2), pp. 236–260.
Noar, S.M. (2006) A 10-year retrospective of research in health mass media campaigns: Where do we go from here? Journal of Health Communication, 11(1), pp. 21–42.
Rosenberg, M.J. and Hovland, C.I. (1960) ‘Cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of attitudes’, in Rosenberg, M.J. and Hovland, C.I. (eds.), Attitude Organization and Change: An Analysis of Consistency among Attitude Components. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 1–14.
Sáinz, M., Martínez-Cantos, J.-L., Rodó-de-Zárate, M., Romano, M.J., Arroyo, L. and Fàbregues, S. (2019) Young Spanish people’s gendered representations of people working in STEM: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Psychology, 10.
Smith, E. and White, P. (2024) Gender, participation and attainment in STEM: A comprehensive overview of long‐term trends in the United Kingdom. British Educational Research Journal, 51(2).
Sonnert, G., Holton, G. and Kistiakowsky, V. (1996) Gender differences in science careers: The project access study and who succeeds in science? The gender dimension. Physics Today, 49(5), pp. 66–68.
Spear, M.G. (1987) The biasing influence of pupil sex in a science marking exercise. In: A. Kelly, ed. Science for Girls. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
Steinke, J. (2005) Cultural representations of gender and science: Portrayals of female scientists and engineers in popular films. Science Communication, 27(1), pp. 27–63.
Thomson, E. (2020) Leeds Animation Workshop. The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, pp. 1–5. Walford, G. (1981) Tracking down sexism in physics textbooks. Physics Education, 16(5), pp. 261–265.
Warrington, M. and Younger, M. (2000) The other side of the gender gap. Gender and Education, 12(4), pp. 493–508.
Weale, S. and correspondent, S.W.E. (2024) More than half of British girls lack confidence learning maths, poll finds. The Guardian. [Online]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/feb/08/more-than-half-of-british-girls-lack-confidence-learning-maths-poll-finds.
Weinburgh, M. (1995) Gender differences in student attitudes toward science: A meta‐analysis of the literature from 1970 to 1991. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(4), pp. 387–398.