AGEP-BPR: A Study of the Cultural Factors Affecting Underrepresented Minority STEM Doctoral Students and Academic Pathway and Transition Programs

该项目由研究生教育联盟和教授（AGEP）计划支持，是STEM教育（AGEP-BPR）奖的扩大参与研究。 AGEP-BPR奖项的目标调查员发起的实证研究项目，旨在研究理论驱动的模型和创新，这些模型和创新与代表性不足的少数民族（URM）在STEM研究生教育，博士后培训和学术STEM职业中的参与和成功有关。 该奖项资助了一项定性研究，以推进关于博士STEM学生的桥梁和途径计划在多大程度上影响代表性不足的少数民族学生及其大学的文化变革的基础知识，以及文化背景如何与学生保留和成功追求博士学位有关。 这项调查的结果预计将告知该领域未来的研究，包括基础和应用，这将增加对URM博士生在参加学术STEM桥梁项目时所经历的障碍，实践和政策的理解，这些项目旨在提高学生的保留率和学位完成率。 调查结果还将告知大学管理人员，教师，工作人员和学生，以及公众有关课程的关键特征与其中的文化背景交叉的途径程序操作;和这样的信息有可能最终改善的经验，保留和成功的URM STEM博士生在我们的国家？进行这项研究的研究人员将探讨以下问题：什么标准是STEM博士学位课程使用招募和录取URM学生？ 什么干预或支持干博士学位课程使用，以促进URM学生的社会和学术准备和整合干博士学位课程的成功？ STEM部门和更大的机构的文化因素影响URM学生在博士学位课程的经验？ 基于他们的工作蒂尔尼的高等教育组织文化的模型，调查人员将使用文件审查，与管理人员，教师，工作人员和学生的访谈，以及观察技术，收集定性数据进行分析和解释，以解决研究问题。 有一名外部评估员和一组外部咨询委员会成员，他们将共同提供形成性和总结性项目评估。 预计产品将包括同行评审期刊上的出版物。

This project is supported by the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program and is a Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (AGEP-BPR) award. The AGEP-BPR awards target investigator initiated empirical research projects that seek to study theory-driven models and innovations related to the participation and success of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers at all types of institutions of higher education. This award funds a qualitative research study to advance foundational knowledge about the extent to which bridging and pathways programs for doctoral STEM students impact cultural change within underrepresented minority students and their universities, and how the cultural contexts relate to student retention and successful pursuit of doctoral degrees. The results of this investigation are expected to inform the field about future research, both basic and applied, that will increase the understanding of the barriers, practices and policies URM doctoral students experience when they participate in academic STEM bridge programs that are designed to increase student retention and degree completion. Findings will also inform university administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the public about the key features of programs intersecting with the cultural contexts in which the pathway programs operate; and such information has the potential to ultimately improve the experiences, retention and successes of URM STEM doctoral students in our nation?s schools.The researchers conducting this study will explore the following questions: What criteria are STEM doctoral pathway programs using to recruit and admit URM students? What interventions or supports do STEM doctoral pathway programs use to promote URM students' social and academic preparation and integration for success in STEM doctoral programs? What cultural factors of the STEM department and the larger institution affect URM students' experiences in the doctoral pathway programs? Basing their work on Tierney's model of higher education organizational culture, the investigators will use document reviews, interviews with administrators, faculty, staff and students, and observation techniques to gather a collection of qualitative data to analyze and interpret to address the research questions. There is an external evaluator and a group of external advisory board members who will work together to provide formative and summative project assessment. Products are expected to include publications in peer-reviewed journals.