Examining the Persistance and Motivation of STEM Pre-Service Teachers of Color in the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program

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This project will support fundamental STEM education research that examines broadening participation within the STEM teacher workforce. By investigating the factors that influence undergraduate student persistence in STEM and teacher education, it has the potential to contribute new knowledge about the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority pre-service STEM teachers. The investigator has designed a professional development plan that will support building his capacity to do explanatory sequential mixed methods research design and advanced inferential statistical analysis. Professional development activities include participating in mixed method workshops and quantitative research methodology courses. The investigator will be mentored by a team of experts in STEM education methodology and quantitative analysis. Aligning a research pilot project with professional development in STEM education research will position the investigator to contribute research findings that can inform efforts to increase representation of minorities in the STEM teacher workforce. The goal of the research project is to understand components of the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, that affect recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students in STEM teacher education. Guided by social cognitive theory, the study will address three questions relevant to the study variables: (1) What major effects and interactions significantly influence underrepresented minority students to pursue teaching careers? (2) What factors propel students to persist in their STEM courses? and (3) What factors contribute to degree completion and pursuit of teaching careers? The research design employs an explanatory sequential mixed method approach that includes the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The expected impacts include informing best practices through which pre-service STEM teacher preparation programs can increase minority representation. The project could lead to the creation of a replicable STEM teacher education model for other institutions.This project is supported through the EHR Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) competition that is designed to build individuals' capacity to carry out high quality fundamental STEM education research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.