A New Lens on Impostorism: Identity, Self-Efficacy, and the Role of Enrichment Programs on Feelings of Impostorism among STEM undergraduates

Authors: Dillon Peters, Bonita London

SUNY Campus: Stony Brook University

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: Old Union Hall

Presentation #: 13

Timeslot: Session B 10:15-11:15 AM

Abstract: The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is a term used to describe one’s persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud despite objective evidence of competence (Clance and Imes, 1978). IP disproportionately affects those with marginalized identities, such as women and people of color. In the current study, we developed a new scale with eight questions related to feelings of IP (e.g., “I worry that I might not be able to fulfill the high expectations my parents/guardians have of me in the future.”). We then recruited 232 undergraduate students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) coursework and degrees from four SUNYs, investigating the relationships between IP, identity factors (gender, race, year in college, enrichment program enrollment), and academic engagement outcomes. Consistent with prior studies, men reported lower feelings of IP than students with marginalized gender identities. Counterintuitively, we did not observe differences between underrepresented and non-underrepresented students in feelings of IP. IP was negatively correlated with measures of self-efficacy (STEM self-efficacy, class self-efficacy, and academic self-efficacy) across all genders. These findings underscore the persistent gender disparity in impostorism and impostorism’s relationship to self-efficacy in STEM students. Enrichment program enrollment marginally correlated with higher IP scores. We discuss the implication of these findings and unpack ways educators can address feelings of IP among their students. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in IP and intersectionality.