STEM teachers’ agency for gender equality in STEM education: A mixed-methods study

• Drawing on biological differences, teachers positioned girls as “responsible” and boys as “capable” in STEM. • Few teachers could identify gender bias in textbooks and most were not troubled by it. • Teachers were aware of gendered differentiated education pathways but not their own agency to intervene. • Only a minority of teachers expressed an interest in professional development for gender equality. • Teacher education has not supported teacher agency for gender equality. The global gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields hinders innovation and economic progress. This study explores a policy-relevant topic, STEM teachers’ agency for gender equality within STEM education in Kazakhstan, where girls excel in STEM at school but are underrepresented in STEM majors. Nevertheless, the gender-related practices and perspectives of Kazakhstani teachers remain significantly unexplored. Drawing on poststructuralist conceptualisations of gender and teacher agency, the research utilises a mixed-methods exploratory sequential design, combining individual semi-structured interviews, qualitative lesson observations, and survey responses. The selection of schools and teachers enabled the investigation of differences in teachers’ perspectives and practices based on factors such as rural or urban location, medium of instruction and subject specialisations. Findings revealed that teachers held essentialised beliefs about gender, portraying girls as inferior learners, particularly in Physics and Computer Science. While recognising gender disparities in STEM, many teachers did not see women's underrepresentation as a significant issue and lacked awareness of their agentic role in challenging gender stereotypes and norms. Instead, they relied on national/cultural discourses and essentialised gender explanations to justify the status quo, relinquishing their potential agency for gender equality. The lack of emphasis on gender equality in teacher education further limits teachers’ agency in addressing these issues. The study offers comprehensive implications for policymakers, curriculum developers and school leaders in fostering teacher agency for gender equality in STEM. Ultimately, teachers’ awareness and reflection on gender issues are critical to their action for gender equality in STEM.