Broadening Participation Research: Fostering Retention in STEM Disciplines at Minority Serving Institutions

塔斯基吉大学的研究人员将利用先前的研究结果，开发一个影响HBCU留住STEM学生的心理社会和制度结构因素的模型。目前的项目将通过收集更多数据和包括西班牙裔服务机构(HSI)来扩大研究范围。更具体地说，他们将审查以前确定的心理社会因素和结构性因素的相互作用，并继续审查最有可能成功地在这些机构留住STEM渠道的学生的组合。这项研究有可能对所有院校的本科生STEM教育产生积极影响。研究人员将使用现象学定性研究、定量调查和二级数据定量分析的三阶段混合方法来调查四个研究问题：(1)哪些心理社会因素似乎影响少数族裔服务机构的STEM专业学生的留存？这些影响是以什么方式表现出来的？(2)结构性因素如何影响少数族裔服务机构的STEM学科保留率？(3)心理社会因素似乎对旨在支持STEM学科留学生的结构性因素的有效性有什么影响(如果有的话)？(4)在服务于不同少数群体的机构中，心理社会因素和结构性因素对STEM保留率的明显影响有什么不同和相似之处？新的样本人口预计将产生16个重点小组，总共有80-112名参与者。人口样本将包括目前STEM的学生、行政人员和工作人员、教职员工和STEM项目的毕业生。研究人员提出用结构方程模型进行定量数据分析，用轴向编码和选择性编码进行定性分析。了解这些影响的相互作用及其对彼此和留存的影响，将使研究人员能够进一步完善模型，并对少数族裔服务机构的STEM项目产生更清晰的视角。该项目得到了历史黑人学院和大学本科生计划(HBCU-UP)的支持，该计划扩大了教育领域的参与研究。该项目支持在STEM教学和学习中创建和研究新模式和创新的想法，调查影响来自代表性不足群体的学生的差异参与和成功率的根本问题，并产生知识，为STEM教育实践和干预提供信息。

Researchers at Tuskegee University will leverage the results of prior research to develop a model of psychosocial and institutional structural factors that influence the retention of STEM students at HBCUs. The current project will expand the research by collecting additional data and including Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). More specifically, they will examine the interaction of the psychosocial and structural factors identified previously and continue to examine those combinations that are most likely to produce success in retaining students in the STEM pipeline at these institutions. The study has the potential to positively impact undergraduate STEM education at all institutions.The researchers will use a three-phase mixed-methods approach involving phenomenological qualitative research, quantitative surveys, and quantitative analysis of secondary data to investigate four research questions: (1) What psychosocial factors appear to affect the retention of students in STEM disciplines at minority-serving institutions? In what ways are those effects manifested? (2) How do structural factors influence retention rates in STEM disciplines at minority-serving institutions? (3) What influence, if any, do psychosocial factors appear to have on the effectiveness of structural factors which are intended to support student retention in STEM disciplines? (4) What differences and similarities are there in the apparent influence of psychosocial and structural factors on STEM retention at institutions serving different minority populations? The new sample populations are expected to yield 16 focus groups with a total of 80-112 participants. Population samples will include current STEM students, administrators and staff, faculty, and graduates of STEM programs. The researchers propose to structural equation modeling for the quantitative data analysis and axial and selective coding for the qualitative analysis. Understanding the interplay of these influences and their effects on each other and on retention will allow the researchers to further refine the model and produce a clearer perspective about STEM programs at minority-serving institutions. This project is supported by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Broadening Participation Research in Education track. This program track supports ideas to create and study new models and innovations in STEM teaching and learning, investigate the underlying issues affecting the differential participation and success rates of students from underrepresented groups, and produce knowledge to inform STEM education practices and interventions.