Assessing Scientific Inquiry and Leadership Skills

描述（由申请人提供）：这项成功的先前资助的四年续签旨在整合和扩展从父项目（评估科学探究和领导技能）中获得的见解。在母项目中，七项研究采用混合（定量和定性）方法，对高中生、本科生和研究生进行回顾性和纵向设计，强烈支持一个概念模型，该模型侧重于科学探究自我效能（即学生对自己在科学研究中取得成功的能力的信念）和科学家身份（即学生认为他/她的个人价值观和自我概念与科学家社会群体之间存在契合度）的心理结构。各级学生对科学事业的投入和科学表现受到自我效能和身份的强烈影响。正如预测的那样，科学支持计划活动的效果，特别是在良好指导下参与真实研究以及与专业科学家和理科学生（社区参与）交往的机会，完全由功效和身份来调节，即计划活动与承诺和绩效的关系间接源于其对功效和身份的影响。对于当前的项目，我们建议更深入地研究研究、指导和社区参与影响功效和身份的方式，以更好地了解最有效的研究环境和指导行为的具体特征。与奇卡诺人和美洲原住民科学促进会 (SACNAS) 合作，五项研究将考察在进行真实研究、在科学会议上展示研究成果以及与研究科学家和其他理科学生建立联系时受到指导的经历。参加 SACNAS 年会的学生将成为一项多年纵向调查研究的一部分，该研究在两年的时间内每年多次跟踪学生的心理反应（即功效和认同）和相关结果（例如科学教育的继续、科学表现的质量）。随着学生的态度和能力随着时间的推移而变化和发展，定量调查和后续访谈将提供对学生（及其导师）的了解，并揭示导师的方法和行为如何影响重要的转折点。随着时间的推移进行多次测量可以提供有关不同时间（例如，在 SACNAS 会议上进行海报展示之前和之后；在课堂或实验室中成功或失败之后等）的心理构建如何影响未来的态度和行为（例如，继续参与科学研究或申请和进入科学研究生院）的信息。 公共卫生相关性声明：该项目的总体目标是加强促进生物医学研究职业进入并取得成功的计划，特别是针对代表性不足的少数族裔学生。研究结果将有助于解决全国致力于生物医学研究的科学家和工程师的短缺问题。增加致力于生物医学研究的个人的多样性将扩大正在解决的研究问题、用于进行研究的方法以及研究结果在政策和实践中的实施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This four-year renewal of a successful prior grant seeks to integrate and expand the insights gained from the parent project (Assessing Scientific Inquiry and Leadership Skills). In the parent project, seven studies employing mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods, retrospective and longitudinal designs with high school, undergraduate, and graduate students strongly supported a conceptual model that focused on the psychological constructs of science inquiry self-efficacy (i.e., a student's belief about his/her ability to perform successfully in scientific research) and identity as a scientist (i.e., a student's perception that there is a fit between his/her personal values and self concept and the social group of scientists). Commitment to a career in science and scientific performance at all levels of students were strongly influenced by self-efficacy and identity. And as predicted, the effects of science support program activities, particularly engagement in authentic research with good mentoring and the opportunity to associate with professional scientists and science students (community involvement) were fully mediated by efficacy and identity, i.e., the relationship of program activities to commitment and performance resulted indirectly from their effects on efficacy and identity. For the current project we propose to delve more deeply into the ways in which research, mentoring, and community involvement affect efficacy and identity to understand better the specific features of research settings and mentor behavior that are most effective. In partnership with the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), five studies will examine the experiences of being mentored while doing authentic research, presenting that research at a scientific conference, and networking with research scientists and other science students. Students who attend the SACNAS annual conference will become part of a multi-year longitudinal survey study that tracks the students' psychological reactions (i.e., efficacy and identity) and relevant outcomes (e.g., continuation in science education, quality of scientific performance) several times per year over a two-year period. Quantitative surveys and follow-up interviews will provide access to students (and their mentors) as the students' attitudes and aptitudes change and develop over time, and reveal how important turning points are affected by mentor approaches and behaviors. Multiple measurements over time can provide information on how psychological constructs at various times (e.g., before and immediately after a poster presentation at the SACNAS conference; after success or failure in the classroom or laboratory, etc.) affect attitudes and behaviors in the future (e.g., maintaining an involvement in scientific research or applying and entering graduate school in science). Public Health Relevance Statement: The overall goal of this project is to strengthen programs that promote entry into and success in biomedical research careers, particularly by underrepresented minority students. Results will help to address the national shortage of scientists and engineers devoted to biomedical research. Increasing the diversity of individuals devoted to biomedical research will expand the research questions being addressed, the approaches used to conduct the research, and the implementation of research findings in policy and practice.