Exploring Student Service Member/Veteran STEM Career Persistence Longitudinally and in Military-Centric Contexts

该项目扩展了之前的一项研究，研究了社会支持网络与“学生服务成员/退伍军人”在STEM职业道路上的坚持之间的联系，“学生服务成员/退伍军人”被定义为退休/退伍军人的本科生。以威斯康星州目前的调查为基础，该研究将数据收集扩展到三个维度。首先是纵向沿着人口的学术轨迹，包括5年来的几个数据收集点。其次，在背景上，增加了来自不同地理位置分散的军事机构的新一代学生服务成员/退伍军人（SSM/Vs）。第三，通过比较威斯康星州和以军事为中心的机构的学生服务成员/退伍军人以及SSM/V和非SSM/V本科生之间的STEM和非STEM职业道路和社会支持特征。这项研究的重点是一个未被充分研究的非传统学生群体，有可能扩大和加强STEM劳动力。研究者以社会资本理论为概念框架，辅以以资产为基础的概念，对学生通过社会网络获得的支持作为实证测量资源进行建模。这项研究将回答三组研究问题。第一：随着威斯康星州SSW/ v在STEM职业道路上进一步发展，SSM/W社会支持网络如何变化；网络模式和变化如何影响STEM职业路径持续性；SSM/ v如何看待这些变化？第二：在以军事为中心的背景下，SSM/V网络如何改变STEM职业道路；网络模式和变化如何影响STEM职业路径持续性；他们是如何看待这些变化的？第三：威斯康星州SSM/ v，军事中心背景下的SSM/ v，以及STEM和非STEM领域的非SSM/ v之间的社会支持网络，职业路径和两者之间的联系随时间的变化如何比较？该项目推进STEM教育和职业发展中的公平导向奖学金，涉及时间、制度、地理和经验因素对STEM非传统学生途径的影响。该项目由EHR核心研究（ECR）项目资助，该项目支持专注于STEM教育学习和学习环境、扩大STEM教育参与和STEM劳动力发展的基础研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project expands a prior study by examining the links between social support networks and persistence along STEM career pathways among “student service members/veterans,” defined as undergraduate students who are retired/discharged military veterans. Building on current surveys in the State of Wisconsin, the study extends the data collection along three dimensions. First is longitudinally along the population’s academic trajectories encompassing several data collection points over five years. Second is contextually by adding a new cohort of student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs) from diverse geographically dispersed military institutions. Third is comparatively by examining STEM and non-STEM career pathways and social support characteristics among student service members/veterans in Wisconsin and in military-centric institutions, as well as between SSM/Vs and non SSM/V undergraduates. The research focuses on an understudied nontraditional student population and has the potential to broaden and strengthen the STEM workforce.The investigators frame the study conceptually with the theory of social capital supplemented with asset-based concepts to model the support students receive through their social networks as empirically measured resources. The study will answer three sets of research questions. First: How do SSM/W social support networks change as Wisconsin SSW/Vs move further along STEM career pathways; how do network patterns and changes influence STEM career pathway persistence; and how do SSM/Vs perceive these changes over time? Second: How do SSM/V networks change as those in military-centric contexts traverse STEM career pathways; how do network patterns and changes influence STEM career pathway persistence; and how do they perceive these changes over time? Third: How do social support networks, career pathways, and links between the two over time compare among Wisconsin SSM/Vs, SSM/Vs in military-centric contexts, and non-SSM/Vs in STEM and non-STEM fields? The project advances equity-oriented scholarship in STEM education and career development concerning the ways temporal, institutional, geographic, and experiential factors influence nontraditional student pathways in STEM.The project is funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program that supports fundamental research focused on STEM education learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM education, 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.