Toward more Inclusive Undergraduate Research Experiences for Low Socioeconomic Students

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。该项目旨在提高社会经济地位较低的学生参加本科生生命科学研究经验的成功程度。研究的重点是学生的学业成就和兴趣、满足感、动机和对科学的执着。为了为低SES学生创造更多包容性的研究机会，需要更好地定义和理解可能对低SES学生研究人员产生负面或积极影响的研究经验的具体方面。因此，本项目旨在通过访谈和调查的方法，找出影响全国高校低SES学生研究人员的因素，并了解这些因素如何影响这些早期职业学者的归属感和融入科学领域。这个项目将产生基于证据的培训资源，帮助研究导师为低SES学生创造更具包容性和公平的研究机会，最终支持SES低学生坚持科学并取得成功。此外，该项目将支持对一名有抱负的终身教职生物教育研究人员进行研究和教学方面的培训。该项目采用顺序混合方法研究设计，将为低社会经济学本科生命科学学生的导师资源的开发提供信息。为了确定在多个研究背景下削弱和支持低SES本科生的因素，调查者将采访现场、板凳和基于计算机的研究学徒以及基于课程的本科生研究经历中的低SES学生研究人员。然后，一项全国性的调查将被用来检查这些因素的普遍性，并评估它们如何影响SES低的学生融入科学和他们的归属感。研究人员将利用这些发现为循证培训资源的开发提供信息，为导师提供支持SES低的学生的工具。虽然许多关于低社会经济地位学生的研究是以赤字为基础的，但这项研究将转而考虑高等教育对这一群体构成的结构性障碍。这项研究是在社会心理学理论框架的指导下进行的，这些理论框架包括隐蔽性、污名化身份和特定于背景的优势。该项目响应STEM教育博士后研究奖学金(STEM Ed PRF)计划，该计划旨在提高STEM、STEM教育、教育和相关学科的新近博士的研究知识、技能和实践，以促进他们从事基础和应用研究，促进该领域知识的进步。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。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project addresses the need to increase the success of students of low socio-economic status (SES) who participate in undergraduate research experiences in life sciences. The research focuses on students’ academic success and interest, satisfaction, motivation, and persistence in science. To create more inclusive research opportunities for low SES students, the specific aspects of research experiences that may negatively or positively impact low SES student researchers need to be better defined and understood. Therefore, this project aims to use interview and survey methods to identify factors that impact low-SES student researchers at universities nationwide and to understand how these factors impact these early career scholars’ sense of belonging and integration into scientific fields. This project will result in evidence-based training resources to help research mentors create more inclusive and equitable research opportunities for low-SES students, ultimately supporting low-SES students in persisting and succeeding in science. Additionally, this project will support the training in research and teaching of an aspiring tenure-track biology education researcher. This project employs a sequential mixed-methods study design, which will inform the development of resources for mentors of low socioeconomic undergraduate life sciences students. To identify the factors that undermine and support low-SES undergraduates across multiple research contexts, the investigator will interview low SES student researchers in field, bench, and computer-based research apprenticeships as well as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences. A nationwide survey will then be employed to examine the prevalence of these factors and assess how they impact low SES students’ integration into science and their sense of belonging. The investigator will use these findings to inform the development of evidence-based training resources to provide mentors with tools to support low SES students. While much research on low SES students is deficit-based, this research will instead be conducted with consideration to the structural barriers higher education poses to this population. This study is guided by the social psychology theoretical frameworks of concealable stigmatized identity and background-specific strengths. The project responds to the STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) program that aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field.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.