Academic Enrichment: Presenting a Poster at a Conference (6pts)

 

This summer, I had the pleasure of completing a summer research program at the University

of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At the end of the summer, I was able to present at the Illinois

Summer Research Symposium. The title of my independent research project was “Gender

Essentialism: The Impact of Sibling Gender Composition on Children’s Essentialist Beliefs”. The

topic of social essentialism, which includes gender essentialism, is a belief that certain

categories of people (gender, race, etc.) have innate and inherent traits, both physical and

behavioral (e.g., essence) that make them act the same way. Some of these beliefs can lead to

stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. How people are raised impacts how they interact

and behave around different people. Many people’s siblings are an integral part of their lives.

Just as parents raise their children and impact their thoughts, behaviors, and morals, siblings

can do the same. My hypothesis was that children with a more diverse sibling gender composition

would have less essentialist beliefs. There was no significance in my findings; however, there

was a trend between more diverse sibling gender composition (ie, growing up around more sisters)

and less essentialist beliefs. 

What I learned over the summer is similar to what I learned in my educational psychology class.

In class, we learned about nature vs nurture and how children learn through their network, which

includes their parents, siblings, teachers, peers, etc. I can apply what I learned from this experience

to my future graduate school career because I will utilize the research and statistical skills I

learned this summer. Furthermore, the program focused on career development skills such as

networking, which is an integral part of life and careers. 

This research program influences my goals and aspirations by expanding my horizons on what I

can pursue for a graduate school program. I have submitted my research abstract to ABRCMS,

and I have been accepted to present this November. In addition, I am currently applying for

graduate school programs.

-Anaya Stenson