People like me: increasing likelihood of success for underrepresented minorities in STEM by providing realistic and relatable role models

Seeing themselves represented in the role models they aspire to, has been shown to be important to students\u27 sense of belonging and success. Underrepresented college students in STEM fields are exposed to only a small set of role models. This set often consist of famous individuals with extraordinary stories (we call these outliers), and represent unfeasible paths to success for a large majority of these students. We aim to remedy this by identifying a set of role models who represent more feasible paths to success (we call these non-outliers) for many underrepresented students. We contend that, despite the less extraordinary success and stories of non-outliers, they share important qualities with outliers. We envision a “People Like Me” website based on profiles of this broader set of role models that can be used as a tool for recruitment and retention. Our current work is to (1) identify role model qualities from the perspective of students, (2) identify and create profiles of non-outlier role models based on these qualities, and (3) test if students are accepting of these non-outliers as potential role models. We have completed steps (1) and (2), and have found that non-outliers do exhibit the qualities our student sample pool seeks in role models

People Like Me: Providing relatable and realistic role models for underrepresented minorities in STEM to increase their motivation and likelihood of success

Despite efforts to increase participation of racial and ethnic minorities (excluding Asians) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States, this group remains underrepresented in these fields. Many efforts to increase minority participation focus on support structures to help this group “get through” the pipeline. However, less attention has been paid to increasing their intrinsic motivation to pursue careers in STEM. Our work is focused on increasing this intrinsic motivation, looking at role models as external influences. Underrepresented minorities are faced with a limited role model pool and in many cases with role models (who we call outliers) whose paths to success and extraordinary achievements are difficult to emulate for the large majority of students. In this study of a representative sample of underrepresented minority students at a predominantly white small private liberal arts university, we show that students are accepting of non-outlier role models who are relatable and embody the qualities typically associated with the existing role models that they value. The evidence suggests that a larger more diverse pool of role models, that represent more feasible paths to success, can be created for this group. We envision a “People Like Me” website based on such a pool as a tool for increasing motivation and persistence of underrepresented minorities in their pursuit of STEM professions

Leaders Like Me

The Workshop Program at the University of Rochester infuses collaborative learning into a variety of introductory STEM and non-STEM courses through small, weekly, peer-led problem solving sessions called Workshops. Decades of data from these Workshops indicate that 1) African American, Black, Hispanic, and Latinx students are less likely to attend them than White and Asian students and 2) that every additional Workshop students attend improves their final course grades, even if they only miss a single Workshop out of the 13 or 14 that are offered each semester. To address this situation, the UR Workshop Program has partnered with the People Like Me project at Bucknell University. Before the start of the Fall 2018 semester, Workshop leaders were asked to respond to the People Like Me survey questions, and we crafted their responses into profiles. We then posted these profiles for students in the courses to view on a platform on which we could track those views at the individual student level. In this work-in-progress, we hope to answer the question: to what extent does viewing personal information about Workshop leaders affect students\u27 likelihood to attend Workshops

A longitudinal analysis of pathways to computing careers: Defining broadening participation in computing (BPC) success with a rearview lens

Efforts to increase the participation of groups historically underrepresented in computing studies, and in the computing workforce, are well documented. It is a national effort with funding from a variety of sources being allocated to research in broadening participation in computing (BPC). Many of the BPC efforts are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) but as existing literature shows, the growth in representation of traditionally underrepresented minorities and women is not commensurate to the efforts and resources that have been directed toward this aim. Instead of attempting to tackle the barriers to increasing representation, this dissertation research tackles the underrepresentation problem by identifying what has worked (leveraging existing real-world data) to increase representation. This work studies the educational pathways of persons who have successfully transitioned into the computing workforce and identifies the common roadmaps that have contributed to retention, persistence, and success in attaining computing employment. Descriptive statistics, Logistic regression, Classification algorithms, Clustering, and Predictive analytics were employed, using the Stata statistical tool and Orange Data Mining tool on real-world data, to identify educational pathways that have resulted in successful employment outcomes for women and blacks in computing. The results of this analysis have highlighted key information that is capable of informing future “Broadening Participation in Computing” (BPC) efforts. This is because the information will enable researchers and decision makers to have a clearer picture of what educational choices have resulted in favorable outcomes for underrepresented minorities and women in computing; and consequently, researchers and decision makers would be able to more accurately target their BPC efforts to achieve optimal results. This knowledge can also be applied in career advising for young students who are trying to chart their path into computing, providing insight into alternative pathways

The Minority in The Minority, Black Women in Computer Science Fields: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States. The theory guiding this study was Krumboltz’s social learning theory of career decision-making, as it provides a foundation for understanding how a combination of factors leads to an individual’s educational and occupational preferences and skills. This qualitative study answered the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of Black women with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, currently employed in the United States? Purposeful criterion sampling was used to select between 12 to 15 participants from the Society of Women Engineers who met the following criteria: a female, Black or African American, with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in computer science, graduated from an accredited college, university, or vocational program, and currently employed in the United States. Data collection methods included individual interviews, letter writing, and focus groups. Data analysis followed Moustakas modified approach: setting aside personal experiences and prejudgments, organizing data and conducting horizonalization, developing clusters of meaning into common themes, generating and combining textural and structural descriptions, and generating a composite description of the phenomenon experienced by all participants

Tackling Gender Stereotypes in STEM Educational Resources

This research-to-practice full paper examines stereotypes in government recommended textbooks in science, technology and mathematics textbooks in Nigeria. Globally, more men are studying and working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields than women. This imbalance is also the case in Nigeria. One contributor to this imbalance is stereotypical gender representation of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists in popular media and career advertisement. Previous research indicates that stereotypes are also prevalent in educational materials used with young people. Given that the aspirations of young people are formed early in their educational journey, it is particularly pertinent to examine the gender bias in educational materials. As part of the DIGISTEM project, a World Bank-sponsored project in Nigeria, the aim of this study was to explore the level of gender bias in the images and language contained in the most frequently used science, technology, and mathematics textbooks recommended by the Nigerian Education Ministry. This study evaluated a total of 2116 visual and text references from 25 government recommended instructional materials. The analysis shows that males are significantly more represented in these resources than females. This study highlights that there is a stereotypical representation of scientists and engineers in primary school instructional materials as demonstrated by the imbalance portrayed in the examined textbooks. This paper concludes with an exploration of the implications of these findings on the educational sector and the need to provide a more inclusive approach to educational resources to enable young people to realise that STEM careers and subjects can be for people like them. This study took place in Nigeria; however, we recognise similar challenges and opportunities in a number of other jurisdictions which provides a foundation for replicability, portability and extension to this work

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: A COMPARISON OF WHITE, LATINX AND BLACK STUDENT’S UNADJUSTED AND ADJUSTED GPAS IN A COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF A HISPANIC SERVING INSTITUTIONS

Because higher education creates more informed individuals, healthier citizens, social prestige, job satisfaction, and numerous other non-economic benefits, it is important that all members of society have opportunities for successful educational achievement. Using data for undergraduate students enrolled in a business college of a large Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), this study documents the existence of an unadjusted GPA gap between White students and ethnic minority students. This study also shows that the unadjusted GPA gaps decrease when socio-economic indicators are introduced in the analysis. The gaps continue to decrease when units-taken, transfer status, age, and student status are added to the analyses. Findings also show that although the differences between White and Latinx GPA can be explained by the covariates used in the analyses, the same cannot be concluded for Black students. Adding the same covariates reduces the gaps but does not eliminate them. Latinx students thus appear to benefit more than Black from being enrolled in a HIS. To sum up, while a significant amount of the difference between White and Latinx students can be explained by differences in socioeconomic status and other factors introduced in the regression analyses, the same cannot be said about Black students. We think that this is an important outcome that deserves substantial investigation. One size does not fit all

FROM GATES TO GREATS: HOW SCIENCE IDENTITY IS EXPRESSED BY RURAL AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION IN AN INFORMAL SCIENCE LEARNING PROGRAM

The underrepresentation of women and minorities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a major concern for researchers, policymakers, and educators. Many causes of this issue have been identified over the years. However, effective methods for increasing minorities’ and women’s participation in STEM may still be limited. This study examines the role that identity formation plays in encouraging rural African American girls to pursue STEM education, utilizing data from an informal science enrichment program that targets STEM underrepresented middle school-aged students from rural communities. A qualitative design was employed to examine rural African American middle school-aged girls’ science interests, attitudes, and identities often referred to as affinities. Qualitative data included observations, artifacts, and individual interviews. The study is presented in two components: participant affinities and science identity formation. Participants had high or sustained affinities for science as compared to their initial program entry. Analysis of qualitative data of science affinities revealed several emergent themes discussed center around rural, African American middle school-aged girls’ interests in science, attitudes toward science, and elements of science identities. Types of emergent science themes developed in this study (e.g., understanding, support/engagement, and career aspirations) inform different ways in which rural, African American middle school-aged girls engage with science and informal science learning. Implications for best practice in nurturing science engagement and identities in African American middle-school-aged girls include the importance of hands-on science activities, the need for energetic, relatable scientific-career role models, and an emphasis on deep understanding of scientific principles.Doctor of Educatio