Staying in Science: Investigating STEM Persistence Among High School Youth

美国自然历史博物馆计划调查有指导的研究和年轻人从高中到大学早期STEM轨迹之间的关系。这项研究建立在之前资助的一个项目的基础上，该项目调查了733名高中青年的经历，他们通过纽约市科学研究指导联盟参与了一个校外深入的科学研究和指导计划。目前的研究将考察380名最初的参与者如何在大学、劳动力准备和最初的工作期间克服障碍和偏见，以及这些经历的制度设置如何有助于产生归属感和支持，或发挥进一步边缘化他们和挑战他们追求STEM教育的动机的作用。这项研究将采用创新的方法研究以下方面的关系和变化：(1)青年参与与持续的、有指导的科学研究经验相关的实践社区；(2)青年的社会网络；以及(3)青年的学业成就，以确定其途径和支持的差异。该项目将产生基于证据的结论，以定位STEM教育和劳动力发展倡议，以实施更有效的扩大参与战略。纵向研究设计的概念框架是Bronfenbrenner生态模型，使研究人员能够对先前研究的结果和理论知识库做出回应，该理论知识库提供了影响处于历史边缘的年轻人坚持STEM的因素。调查人员将调查以下问题：占主导地位的机构结构如何负担或限制被边缘化青年的STEM学习和经验整合，以及声称的客观性和中立性以及科学领域的任人唯贤的文化如何影响这些青年的机会。调查人员将使用混合方法回答三个研究问题：(1)什么因素影响对STEM专业和职业追求的承诺或背离？(2)机构、实习和工作场所如何为学生创造机会、经验和战略，以发展归属感或使年轻人边缘化？(3)年轻人如何经历和管理他们在大学、劳动力准备经验和第一份工作中遇到的障碍和偏见、刻板印象和微侵略性？这项研究将聚焦于在2017年或2018年完成导师研究的校友。调查将从概念框架中探索关键结构，所有研究人员都将在研究设计中操作理论变量。数据来源包括对校友和重要成年人的调查、社交网络分析调查和采访。这项研究将为STEM领域面临的一个关键挑战提供洞察，即在代表性不足的人群中提高对STEM的兴趣和持久性。该项目得到了EHR核心研究计划的支持，该计划为STEM学习和学习环境、扩大STEM领域的参与和STEM劳动力发展的基础研究提供资金。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。

The American Museum of Natural History plans to investigate the relationship between mentored research and youths’ STEM trajectory from high school to early college. The study builds on a previously funded project that examined the experiences of 733 high school youth who participated in an out-of-school, in-depth science research and mentoring program through the New York City Science Research Mentoring Consortium. The current study will examine how 380 of the initial participants navigate obstacles and biases during college, workforce preparation, and initial jobs, and how the institutional settings for these experiences contribute to a sense of belonging and support or function to further marginalize them and challenge their motivation to pursue STEM education. The study will take an innovative approach of studying relationships among and changes in (1) youths’ participation in communities of practice associated with sustained, mentored science research experience; (2) youths’ social networks; and (3) youths’ academic achievement to identify variations in their pathways and supports. The project will generate evidence-based findings to position STEM education and workforce development initiatives to implement more effective broadening participation strategies.The conceptual framework for the longitudinal research design is the Bronfenbrenner ecological model that enables the investigators to respond to the findings from the prior study and to the theoretical knowledge base that informs factors that mediate STEM persistence for historically marginalized youth. The investigators will investigate questions about how dominant institutional structures afford or limit STEM learning and integration of experiences for marginalized youth and how claims of objectivity and neutrality and a culture of meritocracy in the sciences affect opportunities for such youth. The investigators will use a mixed-methods approach to answer three research questions: (1) What factors influence commitment to, or divergence from, a pursuit of a STEM major and career? (2) How do institutions, internships, and workplaces create opportunities, experiences, and strategies for students to develop a sense of belonging or function to marginalize youth? (3) In what ways do youth experience and manage obstacles and biases, stereotypes, and microaggressions that they encounter in college, workforce preparation experiences, and first jobs? The study will focus on alumni who completed their mentored research in 2017 or 2018. Surveys will explore key constructs from the conceptual framework that all the investigators to operationalize the theoretical variables in the research design. The sources of data include surveys with alumni and significant adults, social network analysis surveys, and interviews. The study will provide insight into a key challenge that STEM fields face in increasing interest and persistence in STEM among underrepresented populations. This project is supported by the EHR Core Research program that funds fundamental research on 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.