GSE/RES. Supportive Communities: How Gender Impacts the Native American Experience in STEM Fields.

智力MeritThis研究将调查美洲原住民男性和女性如何差异化地谈判文化期望以及社会支持结构，以坚持STEM（科学技术，工程和数学）学科。研究人员假设，美洲原住民的文化角色可能与感知的性别角色交叉，以增强或削弱学生？坚持STEM学科。此外，这项研究是基于这样一个假设，即美洲原住民男性和女性在大学环境中与正式和非正式支持结构的互动存在差异，并可能从追求STEM职业的不同具体干预中受益。该项目有两个目标：目标1：调查美洲原住民男性和女性的性别经历如何影响他们在STEM学科的坚持。目标2：调查具体的正式和非正式的支持结构如何在STEM学科中区别对待美国原住民男性和女性。该研究将跟踪蒙大拿州立大学和北方亚利桑那大学2所机构的240名美国原住民男性和女性STEM专业的学生，并对其中至少60名学生进行深入访谈。研究人员将研究社会支持结构，非正式学术支持结构和正式学术支持计划以及这些学生在STEM中的持久性的性别差异影响，目的是确定导致美国原住民学生在STEM中持久性的具体结构。该研究采用了混合方法，使用经过验证的工具进行定量分析的纵向方法，以及对开放式调查答复和深入访谈的定性分析。美国原住民占大学适龄学生的1.6%，但获得大学学位的不到1%，只有大约0.7%的科学和工程学士学位。此外，在教育环境中，美洲土著学生的构成存在性别差异。自1994年以来，进入大学的美洲原住民学生的增加似乎主要是由于美洲原住民妇女入学人数的增加。因此，研究性别对美国土著学生成功的影响至关重要;无论是与性别相关的主流文化期望，还是可能源于传统土著文化的性别期望。这项研究将确定具体的社会和学术支持结构重要的美洲土著男子？s和女人？该奖项是由EPSCoR和科学与工程项目中的性别研究共同资助的。

INTELLECTUAL MERITThis study will investigate how Native American men and women differentially negotiate cultural expectations as well as social support structures to persist in STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines. The researchers hypothesize that Native American cultural roles may intersect with perceived gender roles to either enhance or undermine student?s persistence in STEM disciplines. Further, the study is based on the hypothesis that Native American men and women differentially interact with formal and informal support structures in a university setting and may benefit from different specific interventions in pursuing STEM careers.The project has two aims:Aim 1: Investigate how the gendered experiences of Native American men and women influence their persistence in STEM disciplines.Aim 2: Investigate how specific formal and informal support structures differentially benefit Native American men and Native American women in STEM disciplines.The study will follow 240 total Native American men and women in STEM majors at 2 institutions, Montana State University and Northern Arizona University, and perform in-depth interviews with at least 60 of these students. Researchers will examine the differential impact across gender of social support structures, informal academic support structures, and formal academic support program and of the persistence of these students in STEM, with the goal of identifying the specific structures that lead to Native American student persistence in STEM. The study utilizes a mixed-method, longitudinal approach of quantitative analysis using well-validated instruments, and qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and in-depth interviews.BROADER IMPACTSNative American students are underrepresented in higher education, particularly in science and engineering. Native Americans represent 1.6% of college-age students, but are awarded less than 1% of college degrees, and only about 0.7% of science and engineering bachelor degrees. Additionally, there is a gender disparity in the makeup of Native American students in educational settings. Since 1994, the increase in Native American students entering college appears to be due mostly to the increased enrollment of Native American women. It is therefore critical to study impact of gender on Native American student success; both in relationship to mainstream cultural expectations associated with gender as well as gendered expectations that may stem from traditional Native cultures. The study will identify specific social and academic support structures important for Native American men?s and women?s persistence in STEM, and expect to make concrete, data-driven recommendations to academic institutions that lead to more equitable learning environments for Native students in these disciplines.This award is co-funded by the EPSCoR and the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering programs.