About

Channing Mathews is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, specializing in Community Psychology. Her research considers how youth of color draw upon their ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness as motivators for their STEM-based academic engagement and activism. Her work focuses on these processes during adolescence and emerging adulthood, drawing from approaches in education, psychology, and African American studies. Dr. Mathews' scholarship has three central foci: integrating ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness as dual promoters of positive development in Black and Latinx adolescents and emerging adults; examining how these factors promote STEM orientation; and assessing the complexity of ethnic-racial identity and critical action behaviors, including STEM-based activism, in Black and Latinx populations during adolescence and adulthood.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Social psychology
• Psychology
• Law
• Pedagogy
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Design-a-scientist avatar: A new tool for analyzing gender and racial scientist stereotypes

  PLoS ONE · 2026-02-11

  articleOpen access

  Representations of scientists have been shown to be influenced by gender and racial/ethnic stereotypes, in which scientists have been typically depicted as White males. Such stereotypes can have negative effects on women and ethnic minoritized individuals' intention to participate in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The current study used a new method based on the Draw-a-Scientist task to evaluate US undergraduate students' (N = 371, Mage = 19.10, SD = 1.90) perceptions of scientists via their development of a scientist avatar relative to their explicit STEM stereotypes and color-blind racial attitudes. The skin tone selected for the scientist avatars was also assessed to confirm the utility of the Design-a-Scientist Avatar app. Preliminary results indicated that the saturation and brightness of the skin tones were correlated with scientist avatars described as White or Black. Furthermore, factors such as gender and gender stereotypes were influential for participants' likelihood of creating a female scientist, and participants' race/ethnicity, racial/ethnic stereotypes, and color-blind racial attitudes were influential for their likelihood of creating a Black or Latino scientist. The results from this study demonstrate a need for more diverse and inclusive STEM environments and potential interventions to change perceptions around scientists. Moreover, this study introduces a new digital version of the Design-A-Scientist task that can be easily disseminated to collect quantifiable data in the assessment of scientist stereotypes across broader sample populations.

  PublisherDOI

• Anti-racist methodological approaches to ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness scholarship

  Journal of School Psychology · 2025-11-24

  article
  PublisherDOI

• STEM ability perceptions, basic needs satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation in adolescents: The role of inclusive perceptions in self-determination

  PLoS ONE · 2025-03-11 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Current work suggests that basic psychological needs are related to higher intrinsic motivation, which in turn, can promote more positive academic outcomes. However, few studies have examined how perceptions around one's abilities in science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) are related to intrinsic motivation and what role needs satisfaction plays in this association. This study assessed adolescents' (N = 285, 56.1% female, Mage = 15.76 years, SD = 1.24) STEM ability perceptions, basic needs satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation. A path analysis was used to examine the association between STEM ability perceptions, basic needs satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation in adolescents. Inclusive perceptions of the STEM abilities of historically underrepresented groups (i.e., girls and minoritized ethnicities) were positively associated with basic needs satisfaction and basic needs satisfaction was positively associated with intrinsic motivation. There was also a positive indirect effect from inclusive perceptions of STEM abilities to intrinsic motivation through basic needs satisfaction. These findings suggest that schools should focus on promoting inclusive perceptions in order to bolster adolescents' basic needs satisfaction, which could have carry-on effects on intrinsic motivation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Perceptions of STEM Barriers in Adolescence: Examining Math Interest, Science Interest, and STEM Identity at Informal Science Learning Sites

  Youth & Society · 2025-10-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This 2-year longitudinal study examines the relations between math and science interest, STEM identity, and perceptions of STEM barriers in 280 (68% female; M age = 15.27) adolescents in the United States and the United Kingdom. Structural equation models indicated that higher math interest at time 1 was positively associated with overall STEM identity at time 2, and greater STEM identity at time 2 was related to fewer perceptions of barriers to STEM at time 3. Surprisingly, science interest, gender-STEM identity, and racial-ethnic STEM identity were not associated with perceptions of STEM barriers. Results underscore the foundational role of math interest and STEM identity and in support of adolescents’ persistence in STEM pursuits.

  PublisherDOI

• “I Love that ‘Bout Myself and Us”: Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina Girls’ and Young Women's Self-definition and Valuation Processes as Resistance to Gendered Racism

  Psychology of Women Quarterly · 2025-12-22 · 1 citations

  article

  Gendered racism poses a significant threat to Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina girls’ self-concept. In the current study, we combined self-definition theory and the integrated model of ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness to explore how these girls and young women critically reflected on gendered racism in relation to their identity beliefs and sense of self. We used plática methodology to talk with 20 Black ( n = 7), Latina ( n = 3), Afro-Latina ( n = 3), and biracial youth ( n = 7) between the ages of 15 and 21 ( M = 17.7) from across the United States. Girls’ and young women's self-definition was shaped largely by how they internalized or challenged ethnic-racial socialization messages across various contexts. Co-creators’ self-definition processes reflected their navigation of gendered racism by critically reflecting on socialization messages, engaging in gendered-racial reflexivity, and/or identifying with part of a collective consciousness. Their self-valuations emphasized pride in their identity, commitment to social change, and/or their multiplicities. The process of self-defining and developing their own valuation systems allowed them to construct an authentic sense of identity beyond societal, familial, and peer expectations. We share implications for families, educators, and scholars hoping to support Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina girls’ healthy development.

  PublisherDOI

• “A different pair of glasses”: Impacts of a school-based antiracist program on student and teacher critical race consciousness

  Contemporary Educational Psychology · 2025-12-04

  article
  PublisherDOI

• “A Different Pair of Glasses”: Impacts of a School-Based Antiracist Program on Student and Teacher Critical Race Consciousness

  2025-09-04 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Antiracist education is a highly politicized and contested issue in the United States. This qualitative inquiry with high school students (n = 15, 10 White, 3 Black, 2 Asian) and teachers (n = 7, all White) explored the value of considering students’ and teachers’ engagement in a school-based antiracist program from a critical race consciousness framework (i.e., beliefs, feelings, and actions that challenge racism). Semi-structured, individual interviews revealed how an antiracist program, which involved reading and discussing the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, engaged students and teachers in racism analysis, racial reflexivity, and antiracist action. Specifically, participants provided rich descriptions of how the Stamped program encouraged them to gain new perspectives, understand and recognize racism, link historical and modern racism, feel responsible and committed to racial justice, and take internal and interpersonal antiracist action. Some developmental trends emerged in which students were more likely to gain new worldviews and social cognitive mindsets whereas teachers were more likely to be racially reflexive and simultaneously discuss analysis, reflexivity, and action. Implications for antiracist programs as well as educational and developmental theory are discussed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correction: Developmental Trajectories of Adolescents’ Math Motivation: The Role of Mindset and Perceptions of Informal STEM Learning Site Inclusivity

  Journal of Youth and Adolescence · 2024-04-10

  erratumOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Quantitative Investigation of Black and Latina Adolescent Girls’ Experiences of Gendered Racial Microaggressions, Familial Racial Socialization, and Critical Action

  Youth · 2024-04-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  As Black and Latina adolescent girls experience race and gender discrimination, they may turn to their families to explore their beliefs about and responses to systemic injustice and oppression. Familial racial socialization is a likely entry point for critical action (like community activism), linking ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness in youth development. We used hierarchical linear regression to investigate whether familial racial socialization moderated the relationship between experiences of gendered racism and community activism. We analyzed survey data for 315 Black (n = 158) and Latina/Afro-Latina (n = 157) girls (n = 282) and gender-expansive youth (age 13–17) from the southern United States. We found that girls who received more familial socialization and were more frequently stereotyped as being angry participated in more low-risk and formal political activism. Also, Black and Latina girls who were more frequently stereotyped as angry and received more messages about racism from their families engaged in more high-risk activism, while girls who were more frequently perceived as angry and received less racial socialization engaged in less high-risk activism. We discuss the implications of our results for families, educators, and scholars who support Black and Latina girls’ sociopolitical development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “A Different Pair of Glasses”: Impacts of a School-Based Antiracist Intervention on Student and Teacher Critical Race Consciousness

  2024-04-08

  preprintOpen access

  Antiracist education is a highly politicized and contested issue in the United States, but research regarding the outcomes of school-based antiracist efforts is limited. This qualitative study with high school students (n = 15) and teachers (n = 7) examined impacts of a school-wide antiracist intervention on participants’ critical race consciousness (i.e., beliefs, feelings, and actions that challenge racism). Semi-structured, individual interviews revealed how the antiracist intervention, which involved reading and discussing the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram. X Kendi, engaged students and teachers in racism analysis, racial reflexivity, and antiracist actions. Specifically, participants provided rich descriptions of how the Stamped intervention (a) encouraged them to take on new perspectives, feel responsible and committed to racial justice, and take interpersonal antiracist action and (b) enhanced their understanding and recognition of systemic racism and link historical and modern racism. Some developmental trends emerged in which teachers were more likely to be reflexive and discuss the interplay between analysis, reflexivity, and action. Implications for educational and developmental theory as well as antiracist programming are discussed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Josefina Bañales

  University of Illinois Chicago

  21 shared

• Matthew A. Diemer

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  19 shared

• Kelly Lynn Mulvey

  North Carolina State University

  19 shared

• Angelina Joy

  North Carolina State University

  18 shared

• Michael Frisby

  17 shared

• Andres Pinedo

  Vanderbilt University

  16 shared

• Elise Harris

  New York University

  16 shared

• Sara McAlister

  16 shared