EAGER: Measuring the Effects of Academic Climate and Social Networks on Persistence of STEM Undergraduates

提高所有对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)本科学位感兴趣的学生的参与度和成就率仍然是一个挑战。这项研究将加深我们对影响在校学生参与和成功的因素的理解。这是设计有效的教育和研究计划以增加STEM参与度的关键信息。这项热切的提议将开发一种调查工具，旨在收集信息，以了解STEM学术文化和社交网络对持久性的影响。这项研究和进一步的研究旨在通过提供关于STEM本科生的持久性的数据来帮助STEM教育工作者和政策制定者，为提高STEM本科生的成功提供干预措施。这将急于开发一种调查工具的可靠性和有效性，该调查工具旨在衡量STEM学术文化和社会网络对STEM本科生的影响？坚持不懈。社交网络是传递有益资源的关系，使网络群组成员受益。先前的研究表明，STEM中代表性不足的群体不太可能获得并受益于社交网络。该项目采用混合方法收集深度访谈数据，并从访谈数据和相关文献中提出调查问题。重点关注的是一个未被研究的群体，性和性别少数(SGM)STEM本科生。SGM指的是那些认为自己是女同性恋者、男同性恋者、双性恋者、变性人或同性恋/质问者(LGBTQ)或其他性或性别少数群体立场的人。这项调查将在有目的的SGM STEM本科生样本上进行测试，经过改进和再次测试。这项工作是从先前对本科生STEM学生和SGM人群的定性工作中获得的信息。这项研究可以促进对扩大STEM领域参与所需干预措施的了解。

Increasing the participation and success of all students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) undergraduate degrees continues to be a challenge. This research will add to our understanding of the factors that impact the participation and success of understudied students. This is critical information for designing effective education and research programs to increase participation in STEM. This EAGER proposal will develop a survey instrument designed to gather information to understand the impact of STEM academic culture and social networks on persistence. This research and further research is intended to assist STEM educators and policymakers by providing data about the persistence of STEM undergraduates to inform interventions to enhance undergraduate success in STEM.This EAGER will develop the reliability and validity of a survey instrument designed to measure the impact of STEM academic culture and social networks on STEM undergraduate students? persistence. Social networks are relationships that convey useful resources that benefit the network group members. Previous research indicates that underrepresented groups in STEM are less likely to have access to and benefit from social networks. The project uses a mixed-methods approach to gather in-depth interview data, and develop survey questions from the interview data and relevant literature. The focus is on a population that is understudied, Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) STEM undergraduates. SGM refers to individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) or other sexual or gender minority positionalities. The survey will be tested on a purposive sample of SGM STEM undergraduates, refined, and tested again. This work is informed by prior qualitative work on undergraduate STEM students and SGM populations. This study could advance knowledge about interventions needed to broaden participation in STEM fields.