AGEP: BPR: Understanding URM STEM graduate students identity integration and assimilation into a community of practice

科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)专业的少数族裔研究生在白人占主导地位的院校(PWI)的研究生项目中取得进展时，面临着身份谈判的多重挑战。代表不足的少数群体拥有多种身份，反映了种族、族裔、性别、社会角色、家庭角色和职业(例如，科学家、工程师)。这些身份经常发生冲突，并因此影响他们的选择、坚持不懈和在研究生时期的成功。这项研究以社会认同理论为基础，旨在了解STEM项目中少数族裔研究生融入实践社区时的认同整合过程。身份融合是持久成功的关键。然而，随着参与者成为STEM实践社区的富有成效的成员，人们对STEM中未被充分代表的少数族裔的多种身份如何冲突、交叉和融合知之甚少。本研究使用混合方法，追踪未被充分代表的少数族裔研究生的经历，以了解他们在STEM研究生项目的进展过程中如何协商多重的、往往是相互冲突的身份。之前和之后的调查将衡量身份中心性和科学家身份干扰的变化。多个定期安排的面试将评估随着研究生成为其学科实践社区的成员而进行的身份谈判过程。社交网络分析将记录URM研究生在成为STEM学科实践社区的成员时构建的同行、同事、顾问和其他支持网络。参与者将是三个PWI的STEM研究生课程的研究生。随着时间的推移，研究这些学生将能够对身份整合、身份协商和社交网络进行比较。总体而言，这些数据将为编制代表不足的少数族裔STEM研究生身份融合模式提供参考，该模式确定了促进成功融入STEM学科实践社区所需的机构支持的具体战略。

Underrepresented minority graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) face multiple challenges with identity negotiation as they progress through graduate programs at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Underrepresented minorities hold multiple identities reflecting race, ethnicity, gender, social roles, family roles, and career (e.g., scientist, engineer). These identities often conflict and, consequently, influence their choices, persistence, and success during the graduate years. This research project builds on social identity theory to understand the process of identity integration for underrepresented minority graduate students in STEM programs as they integrate into a community of practice. Identity integration is essential for lasting success. Little is known, however, about how multiple identities of underrepresented minorities in STEM conflict, intersect, and integrate as participants become productive members of a STEM community of practice.Using a mixed-methods approach, this research traces the experiences of underrepresented minority graduate students in order to understand their negotiation of multiple, and often conflicting, identities as they progress through their STEM graduate programs. Pre- and post-surveys will measure changes in identity centrality and scientist-identity-interference. Multiple, regularly-scheduled interviews will assess the process of identity negotiation as graduate students become members of their disciplinary communities of practice. Social network analysis will document peer, colleague, advisor, and other support networks that URM graduate students construct as they become members of their disciplinary community of practice in STEM. Participants will be graduate students in STEM graduate programs at three PWIs. Studying these students over time will enable comparisons of identity integration, identity negotiation, and social networking. Collectively, these data will inform the development of a model for underrepresented minority STEM graduate student identity integration that identifies specific strategies for institutional support needed to promote successful assimilation into a STEM disciplinary community of practice.