Measurement of Negative Mentoring in Undergraduate Research

众所周知，本科生的研究经验可以促进学生的个人和专业成长。 先前的研究表明，积极的指导经验对本科研究人员有积极的影响。 然而，负面辅导经历的普遍性和影响尚未得到系统调查。 这样的经验预计会对本科研究人员产生不利影响。 该项目旨在开发，测试和使用新的调查工具来衡量生命科学本科研究人员的负面指导的发生率和影响。分析结果将提供有关负面指导的频率，其对本科生研究人员的影响，以及可能采取的行动，以减少或防止它的信息。该项目还将提供关于负面指导对历史上代表性不足或服务不足的背景的本科生的影响的见解。本项目旨在实现三个主要目标：定义一个结构的负面指导在本科研究，产生一个有效的和可靠的措施，在本科研究的负面指导，并进行初步调查的负面指导的影响。根据制定新的心理测量方法的既定指导方针，该项目将开始，采访一组经历过负面指导的不同本科生研究人员。 分析他们的反应将定义一个结构的负面指导本科研究。全国范围内的大量本科生将根据这一结构进行一项调查草案。 这项调查的结果将提供对消极辅导的影响的初步了解，并有助于为调查工具的改进提供信息。向全国的本科生研究人员管理改进的调查工具将增加对负面指导对本科生研究成果影响的理解。该项目有可能产生见解和工具，可以帮助提高本科生研究指导的质量。该项目还将测试旨在减少或防止消极辅导及其影响的干预措施。 这些成果有助于改善本科生的研究经验，从而实现培养STEM人才和扩大参与STEM的潜力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Undergraduate research experiences are known to foster students' personal and professional growth. Prior studies have demonstrated that positive mentoring experiences have positive effects on undergraduate researchers. However, the prevalence and impact of negative mentoring experiences have not been systematically investigated. Such experiences would be expected to have detrimental impacts on the undergraduate researchers. This project aims to develop, test, and use new survey instruments to measure the incidence and impact of negative mentoring on undergraduate researchers in the life sciences. Analysis of the results will provide information about the frequency of negative mentoring, its effects on undergraduate student researchers, and possible actions to reduce or prevent it. This project will also provide insights on the effect of negative mentoring on undergraduates from backgrounds that are historically under-represented or under-served. This project aims to accomplish three major goals: define a construct of negative mentoring in undergraduate research, produce a valid and reliable measure of negative mentoring in undergraduate research, and conduct a preliminary investigation of the impacts of negative mentoring. Following established guidelines for developing new psychological measures, the project will begin by interviewing a diverse group of undergraduate student researchers who have experienced negative mentoring. Analysis of their responses will define a construct of negative mentoring in undergraduate research. A large pool of undergraduate students nationwide will take a draft survey based on this construct. Results of this survey will provide preliminary insight into the effects of negative mentoring and helping to inform refinements of the survey instruments. Administering the refined survey instrument to undergraduate student researchers nationwide will increase understanding of the impact of negative mentoring on undergraduate research outcomes. This project has the potential to yield insights and produce tools that could help improve the quality of undergraduate research mentoring. This project will also test interventions aimed at reducing or preventing negative mentoring and its impacts. These results can contribute to improving undergraduate research experiences so that their potential to build STEM talent and broaden participation in STEM can be realized.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.