Role Models & University Students' Possible Selves by Hilary Lips

Dr. Lips' presentation of her research on the importance and relevance of role models in university students' assessment of their academic possibilities will raise and address the following questions and issues:
What is a role model? The belief in the importance of role models.
Why might role models be effective? Theories and examples reinforce role models as sources of possible selves.

How important is gender? How important are role models in encouraging students possible self-views in non-traditional, "gendered" educational/career areas?
Do students acknowledge that they have or have had role models in various educational/career areas they see as possible selves?
Is there a relationship between students’ reported availability of role models in a specific academic/career area and their endorsement of current and/or possible selves in that area? In such relationships, what role model qualities appear to be important?
Dr. Lips presents her latest research findings addressing these question including results indicating that having a career-area role model and seeing this career-area as definite possible self are significantly, mutually reinforcing -- strongly increasing the likelihood of both relative to those students without such experiences or backgrounds.