Promoting equitable learning and career pathways in STEAM through positive youth development

Extant research from across disciplines has documented disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields as a function of a lack of access to advanced STEM course work; implicit bias in existing STEM curriculum and instructional practices; lower likelihood of having access to STEM extracurricular or enrichment opportunities or programs; and fewer STEM mentors or models with whom young people share identities. A growing body of research seeks to further explore these factors, how they influence young people, and how they might be undercut to interrupt existing cycles of inequity. This special issue highlights several contemporary examples of this research, across various learning contexts to explore (1) how young people's STEM or other professional identities develop, (2) how professional identities can be shaped by social interventions, and (3) how this might look across developmental levels (specifically middle school through post secondary programming). Additionally, as a result of many of the studies in this special issue employing qualitative or mixed methodology, the corpus of literature offered explores not only whether identity development occurs and/or interest in STEM is sparked, but also how and under what conditions that might happen. The identification of these mechanisms is essential for applying developmental science in action to address barriers to, and shift trajectories for, a skilled STEM workforce inclusive of individuals from historically underrepresented groups.