AGEP: BPR: Understanding URM STEM graduate students identity integration and assimilation into a community of practice

科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）专业的少数族裔研究生在白人占主导地位的机构（pwi）攻读研究生课程时，面临着身份谈判方面的多重挑战。未被充分代表的少数群体拥有反映种族、民族、性别、社会角色、家庭角色和职业（如科学家、工程师）的多重身份。这些身份常常相互冲突，从而影响了他们在毕业期间的选择、坚持和成功。本研究项目建立在社会认同理论的基础上，以了解STEM项目中代表性不足的少数民族研究生在融入实践社区时的身份整合过程。身份整合是持久成功的关键。然而，随着参与者成为STEM实践社区的富有成效的成员，STEM中未被充分代表的少数群体的多重身份是如何冲突、交叉和融合的，我们知之甚少。本研究采用混合方法，追踪代表性不足的少数民族研究生的经历，以了解他们在STEM研究生课程中对多个且经常相互冲突的身份的谈判。前后调查将测量身份中心性和科学家身份干扰的变化。多个定期安排的面试将评估研究生成为其学科实践社区成员的身份谈判过程。社会网络分析将记录URM研究生在成为STEM学科实践社区成员时所构建的同伴、同事、顾问和其他支持网络。参与者将是三个pwi的STEM研究生项目的研究生。长期研究这些学生可以比较身份整合、身份协商和社交网络。总的来说，这些数据将为代表性不足的少数族裔STEM研究生身份整合模型的开发提供信息，该模型将确定促进成功融入STEM学科实践社区所需的机构支持的具体策略。

Underrepresented minority graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) face multiple challenges with identity negotiation as they progress through graduate programs at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Underrepresented minorities hold multiple identities reflecting race, ethnicity, gender, social roles, family roles, and career (e.g., scientist, engineer). These identities often conflict and, consequently, influence their choices, persistence, and success during the graduate years. This research project builds on social identity theory to understand the process of identity integration for underrepresented minority graduate students in STEM programs as they integrate into a community of practice. Identity integration is essential for lasting success. Little is known, however, about how multiple identities of underrepresented minorities in STEM conflict, intersect, and integrate as participants become productive members of a STEM community of practice.Using a mixed-methods approach, this research traces the experiences of underrepresented minority graduate students in order to understand their negotiation of multiple, and often conflicting, identities as they progress through their STEM graduate programs. Pre- and post-surveys will measure changes in identity centrality and scientist-identity-interference. Multiple, regularly-scheduled interviews will assess the process of identity negotiation as graduate students become members of their disciplinary communities of practice. Social network analysis will document peer, colleague, advisor, and other support networks that URM graduate students construct as they become members of their disciplinary community of practice in STEM. Participants will be graduate students in STEM graduate programs at three PWIs. Studying these students over time will enable comparisons of identity integration, identity negotiation, and social networking. Collectively, these data will inform the development of a model for underrepresented minority STEM graduate student identity integration that identifies specific strategies for institutional support needed to promote successful assimilation into a STEM disciplinary community of practice.