An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy
The experience of the impostor phenomenon, when a person doubts themselves and believes that they are underqualified and do not belong in a position as a result, can be a challenge for undergraduate physics students. In a small-scale interview study, we found that the impostor phenomenon was frequen...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Ewan Bottomley Paula Miles Antje Kohnle Vivienne Wild Kenneth I. Mavor |
| author_facet | Ewan Bottomley Paula Miles Antje Kohnle Vivienne Wild Kenneth I. Mavor |
| author_sort | Ewan Bottomley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The experience of the impostor phenomenon, when a person doubts themselves and believes that they are underqualified and do not belong in a position as a result, can be a challenge for undergraduate physics students. In a small-scale interview study, we found that the impostor phenomenon was frequently reported by physics undergraduates. On this basis, we developed an intervention to target the impostor phenomenon. The intervention had three phases. In the first phase, we introduced key concepts to students, giving them labels for their experiences. In the second phase, we gave students passages which depicted stories of higher-level students who had experienced the impostor phenomenon. We prompted conversation between students on the passages to normalize the discussion around the impostor phenomenon. Finally, in the third phase we asked students to reflect on what advice they would give future students who struggled with the impostor phenomenon. This was to encourage students to think about their own strategies when it comes to dealing with the impostor phenomenon. The intervention was run in class with 279 undergraduate students. The evaluation of the intervention via follow-up interviews was positive. The students spoke about the need for such an intervention and suggested adaptations. This intervention could be a step towards promoting a culture in educational settings where impostor feelings can be discussed openly. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb4ea0f135984080a86613fc7c07bfde |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb4ea0f135984080a86613fc7c07bfde2025-08-20T03:13:30ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-04-0115449810.3390/educsci15040498An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and AstronomyEwan Bottomley0Paula Miles1Antje Kohnle2Vivienne Wild3Kenneth I. Mavor4School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, UKSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, UKSchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS, UKSchool of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS, UKSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, UKThe experience of the impostor phenomenon, when a person doubts themselves and believes that they are underqualified and do not belong in a position as a result, can be a challenge for undergraduate physics students. In a small-scale interview study, we found that the impostor phenomenon was frequently reported by physics undergraduates. On this basis, we developed an intervention to target the impostor phenomenon. The intervention had three phases. In the first phase, we introduced key concepts to students, giving them labels for their experiences. In the second phase, we gave students passages which depicted stories of higher-level students who had experienced the impostor phenomenon. We prompted conversation between students on the passages to normalize the discussion around the impostor phenomenon. Finally, in the third phase we asked students to reflect on what advice they would give future students who struggled with the impostor phenomenon. This was to encourage students to think about their own strategies when it comes to dealing with the impostor phenomenon. The intervention was run in class with 279 undergraduate students. The evaluation of the intervention via follow-up interviews was positive. The students spoke about the need for such an intervention and suggested adaptations. This intervention could be a step towards promoting a culture in educational settings where impostor feelings can be discussed openly.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/498the impostor phenomenoninterventionbrilliance expectationsimpostor syndromebelonging |
| spellingShingle | Ewan Bottomley Paula Miles Antje Kohnle Vivienne Wild Kenneth I. Mavor An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy Education Sciences the impostor phenomenon intervention brilliance expectations impostor syndrome belonging |
| title | An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
| title_full | An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
| title_fullStr | An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
| title_short | An Intervention Addressing Impostor Phenomenon in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy |
| title_sort | intervention addressing impostor phenomenon in undergraduate physics and astronomy |
| topic | the impostor phenomenon intervention brilliance expectations impostor syndrome belonging |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/498 |
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