AGEP-BPR: A Study of the Cultural Factors Affecting Underrepresented Minority STEM Doctoral Students and Academic Pathway and Transition Programs

该项目由研究生教育和教授联盟（AGEP）计划支持，是STEM教育扩大参与研究（AGEP- bpr）奖。AGEP-BPR奖励目标研究者发起的实证研究项目，旨在研究理论驱动的模型和创新，这些模型和创新与未被充分代表的少数民族（urm）在所有类型的高等教育机构的STEM研究生教育、博士后培训和学术STEM职业的参与和成功有关。该奖项资助了一项定性研究，以推进有关STEM博士学生的衔接和路径计划在多大程度上影响少数族裔学生及其大学的文化变革，以及文化背景如何与学生保留和成功追求博士学位相关的基础知识。这项调查的结果预计将为未来的基础和应用研究提供信息，这将增加对URM博士生在参加旨在提高学生保留率和学位完成度的学术STEM桥梁项目时所经历的障碍、实践和政策的理解。调查结果还将告知大学管理人员、教职员工、学生以及公众，与衔接项目运作的文化背景相交叉的项目的关键特征；这些信息是否有可能最终改善我们国家URM STEM博士生的经历、保留和成功？年代的学校。进行这项研究的研究人员将探讨以下问题：STEM博士路径项目使用什么标准来招募和录取URM学生？STEM博士路径项目使用哪些干预措施或支持来促进URM学生在STEM博士项目中成功的社会和学术准备和整合？STEM部门和更大机构的哪些文化因素影响了URM学生在博士衔接课程中的经历？基于蒂尔尼的高等教育组织文化模型，研究人员将使用文件审查，与管理人员，教职员工和学生的访谈，以及观察技术来收集定性数据，以分析和解释研究问题。有一名外部评估人员和一组外部咨询委员会成员，他们将共同提供形成性和总结性项目评估。预计产品将包括在同行评审期刊上发表的文章。

This project is supported by the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program and is a Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (AGEP-BPR) award. The AGEP-BPR awards target investigator initiated empirical research projects that seek to study theory-driven models and innovations related to the participation and success of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers at all types of institutions of higher education. This award funds a qualitative research study to advance foundational knowledge about the extent to which bridging and pathways programs for doctoral STEM students impact cultural change within underrepresented minority students and their universities, and how the cultural contexts relate to student retention and successful pursuit of doctoral degrees. The results of this investigation are expected to inform the field about future research, both basic and applied, that will increase the understanding of the barriers, practices and policies URM doctoral students experience when they participate in academic STEM bridge programs that are designed to increase student retention and degree completion. Findings will also inform university administrators, faculty, staff and students, as well as the public about the key features of programs intersecting with the cultural contexts in which the pathway programs operate; and such information has the potential to ultimately improve the experiences, retention and successes of URM STEM doctoral students in our nation?s schools.The researchers conducting this study will explore the following questions: What criteria are STEM doctoral pathway programs using to recruit and admit URM students? What interventions or supports do STEM doctoral pathway programs use to promote URM students' social and academic preparation and integration for success in STEM doctoral programs? What cultural factors of the STEM department and the larger institution affect URM students' experiences in the doctoral pathway programs? Basing their work on Tierney's model of higher education organizational culture, the investigators will use document reviews, interviews with administrators, faculty, staff and students, and observation techniques to gather a collection of qualitative data to analyze and interpret to address the research questions. There is an external evaluator and a group of external advisory board members who will work together to provide formative and summative project assessment. Products are expected to include publications in peer-reviewed journals.