CAREER: Improving Interracial Contact in STEM: Examining the Effect of Repeated Interracial Contact in VR On Racial Anxiety and Attitudes, Social Networks, and Performance

教师早期职业发展（Career）计划是一项国家科学基金会范围内的活动，为通过杰出的研究、优秀的教育以及在其组织使命范围内将教育和研究结合起来，以教师学者为榜样的初级教师提供奖励。该职业奖支持旨在增加高等教育STEM文化多样性和包容性的实验和纵向研究。该项目将使用虚拟现实来探索种族间的互动以及与种族相关的认知和情感。研究结果将为利用虚拟现实融入STEM提供理论和干预措施。该项目通过让本科生和研究生参与虚拟现实模拟和研究的开发，以及通过与黑人女孩代码组织合作的高中女孩，将研究和教育结合起来。本项目采用定量和定性相结合的方法，包括虚拟现实模拟、现场实验和焦点小组，以检验STEM中重复的虚拟现实跨种族接触假设。该项目的第一阶段研究了STEM环境中的虚拟现实跨种族互动过程在多大程度上反映了面对面的跨种族互动过程。该项目的第二阶段将应用虚拟现实中审议实践和暴露疗法研究的见解，为STEM学生提供多种机会，在常见的STEM环境中与虚拟现实模拟进行互动，例如实验室，组织会议和学习小组。第三阶段将研究虚拟现实跨种族互动对弱势群体学生学习成绩的长期影响。这项研究将通过为来自STEM历史上被边缘化群体的学生创造更具包容性和友好的环境，并在编程和研究方面培训不同的学生，从而加强和多样化STEM途径。该奖项由EHR核心研究计划支持，该计划支持基础STEM教育研究计划。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 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. This CAREER award supports experimental and longitudinal studies that aim to increase diversity and inclusion in higher education STEM culture. The project will use virtual reality to explore interracial interactions and race-related cognitions and emotions. Study findings will inform theory and interventions on inclusion in STEM using virtual reality. This project integrates research and education by involving undergraduate and graduate students in the development of virtual reality simulations and research, as well as high school girls through partnership with the Black Girls Code organization. Employing quantitative and qualitative methods, this project includes virtual reality simulations, in-person experiments and focus groups to examine the repeated virtual reality interracial contact hypothesis in STEM. Phase I of the project examines the extent to which virtual reality interracial interaction processes in STEM contexts mirror in-person interracial interaction processes. Applying insights from research on deliberative practice and exposure therapy in virtual reality, Phase II of the project will provide STEM students multiple opportunities to interact with virtual reality simulations in common STEM settings, such as laboratories, organization meetings, and study groups. Phase III will examine the long-term impacts of virtual reality interracial interactions on the academic performance of students from underrepresented groups. This research will strengthen and diversify STEM pathways by fostering more inclusive and welcoming environments for students from groups historically marginalized in STEM and training diverse students in programming and research. This award is supported by the EHR Core Research program which supports fundamental STEM education research initiatives.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.