In this dissertation, I explore one potential mechanism for bridging early achievement gaps in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) for non-white, female, and individuals from lower socioeconomic contexts: the construct of curiosity. Curiosity has implications for children’s motivation and information-seeking, which may be integral in early STEM. Thus, this dissertation subscribes to an existing theoretical framework of curiosity to explore both how it occurs naturalistically (Paper 1) and potentially relates to early learning (Paper 2) and persistence (Paper 3) in STEM. Paper 1 utilizes naturalistic language-level data of parent-child interactions to explore how curiosity occurs spontaneously in early childhood. Paper 2 aims to experimentally elicit curiosity during a shared book reading task with an experimenter to impact children’s science learning outcomes. Finally, Paper 3 explores another method of eliciting curiosity during a behavioral task to examine any relation with early persistence in STEM. I conclude with a discussion of the significance and implications of this work for researchers, caregivers, and educators. / 2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

Creativity is a cornerstone of complex, unconventional thinking, and developing creativity begins at a young age. With this book, early childhood teachers will discover how to tap into and scaffold children's natural curiosity and creative abilities. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1154/thumbnail.jpg

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Book Summary: Gode læringsmiljøer for børn giver ideer til, hvordan man kan skabe gode udviklings- og læringsmiljøer i daginstitution og skole, så børn på samme tid kan have gode børneliv og lære noget i inspirerende og spændende omgivelser.

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Book Summary: The Developing Child, 13e gives students the tools they need to organize, retain, and apply information from the broad field of child psychology, while offering balanced coverage of theory and application. Through The Developing Child, 13e Helen Bee and Denise Boyd generate excitement about scientific inquiry by connecting research with applications. All integrated features within the text are designed to engage students and provide them with the support they need to understand, learn, and apply the material. Interactive resources like MyDevelopmentLab with MyVirtualChild offer students additional support and the ultimate hands-on learning experience.

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Book Summary: Written by a well-known and respected researcher in the field of child development, this TOPICALLY organized text uses unique and effective pedagogy as the framework of the entire text. Designed to demonstrate how research translates into practice with accessible writing, a modular format, and application-based features such as: Focus on Research, Real Children, Cultural Influences, and Child and Development and Family Policy.