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

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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.