Broadening Participation Research Grant: Career Commitment and Retention in STEM: Building the STEM Workforce

田纳西州立大学HBCU-UP扩大STEM教育参与研究项目题为STEM的职业承诺和保留：建设STEM劳动力。拟议的工作是教育学院、工程学院和农业、人力和自然资源学院的教职员工之间的合作。其目标是扩展当前关于少数民族STEM学生有效职业发展和管理干预的理论。这项研究将考察以研究和理论为基础的干预措施对职业管理技能的影响，以培养对STEM研究生学习和职业的承诺、参与和保留、毕业和参与。PIs希望提供证据，证明在为少数族裔服务的机构中，使用基于理论和研究的文化胜任职业管理干预措施，对少数族裔学生进行职业发展和管理方面的具体培训具有额外的影响。更具体地说，拟议的项目旨在确定旨在促进少数族裔STEM本科生职业管理技能发展的以研究和理论为基础的干预措施是否将增加：(A)职业规划和管理技能以及通过现有STEM专业发展活动培养的知识；(B)对STEM职业生涯的承诺和兴趣、表现、保留和专业参与度；以及(C)参与专业组织、志愿者研究、实习、现场经验、会议和出版，以获得研究生项目和高质量就业所需的能力。该项目的目的还在于确定参加这类干预是否会缩短毕业时间。拟议的项目满足了少数族裔学生对STEM职业道路和具体的专业发展计划有现实期望的需要。STEM职业的动态特性要求学生跟上不断变化的技能要求。拟议的项目将为STEM专业的学生提供更多的信心，使他们对STEM职业生涯的承诺更有信心，并使他们能够制定明确的计划，通过本科学习和以后的学习来招生。

The Tennessee State University HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education project is entitled Career Commitment and Retention in STEM: Building the STEM Workforce. The proposed effort is a collaboration among faculty in the College of Education; College of Engineering; and College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources. The goal is to expand the current theory on effective career development and management interventions for minority STEM students. The study will examine the impact of a research- and theory-based intervention to develop career management skills on commitment to, engagement and retention in, graduation from, and engagement in STEM post graduate study and careers. The PIs hope to provide evidence of the additive impact of specific training in career development and management for minority students at minority-serving institutions using theory- and research-based culturally competent career management interventions. More specifically, the proposed project is designed to determine whether a research- and theory-based intervention to promote the development of career management skills among minority STEM undergraduates will increase (a) career planning and management skills and knowledge over that developed through existing STEM professional development activities; (b) commitment to and interest, performance, retention, and professional engagement in STEM careers; and (c) participation in professional organizations, volunteer research, internships, field experiences, conferences, and publishing needed for obtaining entrance to graduate programs and high quality employment. The project is designed to determine also whether participation in such interventions will decrease time to graduation. The proposed project responds to the need for minority students to have realistic expectations about STEM career pathways and concrete professional development plans. The dynamic nature of STEM careers requires students to keep abreast of changing skill requirements. The proposed project will provide STEM majors with increased confidence in their commitment to a STEM career and enable them to develop clear plans for matriculating through undergraduate study and beyond.