Measurement of Negative Mentoring in Undergraduate Research

众所周知，本科生的研究经历有助于学生的个人和职业成长。先前的研究已经证明，积极的指导经验对本科生研究人员有积极的影响。然而，负面辅导经验的盛行率和影响尚未得到系统的调查。这样的经历预计会对本科生研究人员产生不利影响。这个项目旨在开发、测试和使用新的调查工具来衡量负面指导对生命科学本科生研究人员的发生率和影响。对结果的分析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减少或防止负面指导的可能行动的信息。这个项目还将提供关于负面指导对来自历史上代表不足或服务不足的本科生的影响的见解。本项目旨在完成三个主要目标：界定本科生研究中负面辅导的结构，编制有效可靠的本科生研究中负面辅导的测量方法，以及对负面辅导的影响进行初步调查。根据制定新的心理测量方法的既定指导方针，该项目将首先采访一群经历过负面指导的本科生研究人员。对他们的反应的分析将定义本科生研究中的负面指导结构。全国范围内的一大批本科生将根据这一结构进行抽样调查。这项调查的结果将提供对消极指导的影响的初步洞察，并有助于为调查工具的改进提供信息。在全国范围内对本科生研究人员实施精细化的调查工具，将增加对负面指导对本科生研究成果影响的理解。这个项目有可能产生洞察力，并产生有助于提高本科生研究指导质量的工具。该项目还将测试旨在减少或防止负面指导及其影响的干预措施。这些结果有助于改善本科生的研究经验，从而实现他们培养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优势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.