Studying Year 6 students’ perceptions of gender and their engagement in STEM within an Australian primary school

Gender stereotypes—and performances of femininity and masculinity—play a key role in how and why an individual engages in STEM education. Students’ perceptions of STEM have been carefully and consistently studied in high school and in tertiary education contexts, but to date there has been limited research examining students’ gendered perceptions of STEM at the primary school level. This small case study adopts a critical feminist approach and draws on classroom observations and semi-structured focus group interviews using photo-elicitation to foreground student voice. The aim of this research is to uncover how Year 6 students (n = 6) living and learning in Australia perceive STEM as a gendered discipline of study. Drawing on an inductive thematic analysis, we identified key differences between boys and girls which arguably have implications for their engagement in STEM. Our analysis foregrounds the role of (1) self-efficacy; (2) social pressures and performativity; and (3) pervasive gender norms, which all played a role in influencing students’ identities. We then consider the implications of these findings for educators. The article concludes with an examination of the limitations of the study as well as considerations for future research.