Staying in Science: Examining the Pathways of Underrepresented Youth Mentored in Research

这项纵向研究将有助于更广泛地了解STEM感兴趣的高中生的途径，这些学生来自计划在高中后努力追求或完成科学研究的代表性不足的群体。 该项目将调查形成性的真实科学经验可能支持青年坚持STEM的方式。这项研究的重点是大约900名城市青年谁是高兴趣，高潜力的STEM学生谁参加，或校友，科学研究导师计划。该计划为来自STEM职业中代表性不足的群体的高中青年提供密集的指导。 它发生在纽约市周围的17个地点，包括美国自然历史博物馆，这是最初的计划网站。确定高兴趣，代表性不足的青年走向STEM职业道路的关键支持和障碍，可以帮助从业者设计更具包容性和公平的STEM学习经验和支持。为了更好地了解影响这些学生的因素，本研究将纵向社会网络和调查数据与访谈和案例研究相结合，并分析了纽约市公立学校记录中的匹配学生数据。研究中的研究问题是：a）青年人的社交网络如何通过参与科学家的实践社区而发展？B）实践社区的特征与年轻人的社交网络、学业成绩衡量标准以及年轻人对STEM专业的追求之间的关系是什么？以及c）在与学习者特征、社交网络的构成和实践社区的特征的关系方面，青年途径有哪些变化？研究设计允许学生途径的丰富，分层的观点。特别是，通过采用社会网络分析，这项研究将揭示持久性的关系特征，这可能是特别重要的代表性不足的青年，为他们干榜样和文化经纪人提供了一个否则无法在干的归属感和身份。该研究还将访问纽约市公立学校的数据集，包括学生记录，其中包含传记和人口统计变量、中学和中学后课程入学和成绩、考试成绩、持续性/毕业指标、中学后调查的相关响应以及教育后就业记录和工资。这些数据可以通过将计划参与者与类似的非参与者同龄人进行比较，来检查校内成就和校外STEM经验之间的相互关系。该项目由NSF的EHR核心研究（ECR）计划支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。

This longitudinal research study will contribute to a broader understanding of the pathways of STEM-interested high school students from underrepresented groups who plan to pursue or complete science studies in their post-high school endeavors. The project will investigate the ways that formative authentic science experiences may support youth's persistence in STEM. The study focuses on approximately 900 urban youth who are high interest, high potential STEM students who participate in, or are alumni of, the Science Research Mentoring Program. This program provides intensive mentoring for high school youth from groups underrepresented in STEM careers. It takes place at 17 sites around New York City, including American Museum of Natural History, which is the original program site. Identifying key supports and obstacles in the pathways of high-interest, under-represented youth towards STEM careers can help practitioners design more inclusive and equitable STEM learning experiences and supports. In this way, the project will capitalize on student interest so that students with potential continue to persist.In order to understand better the factors that influence these students, this research combines longitudinal social network and survey data with interviews and case studies, as well as an analysis of matched student data from New York City Public Schools' records. The research questions in the study are a) how do youths' social networks develop through their participation in scientists' communities of practice? b) what is the relationship between features of the communities of practice and youths' social networks, measures of academic achievement, and youths' pursuit of a STEM major? and c) what are the variations in youth pathways in relationship to learner characteristics, composition of social networks, and features of the community of practice? The research design allows for a rich, layered perspective of student pathways. In particular, by employing social network analysis, this study will reveal relational features of persistence that may be particularly critical for underrepresented youth, for whom STEM role models and cultural brokers provide an otherwise unavailable sense of belonging and identity in STEM. The study will also access a New York City Public Schools data set comprised of student-level records containing biographical and demographic variables, secondary and postsecondary course enrollment and grades, exam scores, persistence/graduation indicators, linked responses to post-secondary surveys, and post-education employment records and wages. These data enable examination of inter-relationships between in-school achievement and out-of-school STEM experiences through comparison of program participants to similar non-participant peers. This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field.