Black Males in Middle School (HBCU-DCL EAGER): Investigating How STEM Mentoring Programs and Experiences Influences Their Academic and Career Interest in Engineering

在全国范围内，人们对扩大少数族裔男性在工程和其他stem相关领域的参与越来越感兴趣。与白人和亚裔男性相比，许多少数族裔男性在工程领域的代表性不足。纵观理论和科学文献，很少有研究关注工程领域的少数族裔男性，尤其是那些参加过工程或其他stem相关指导项目和经历的黑人男性学生。也很少有科学和大众文献专门研究这些项目如何影响黑人男性中学生对工程的学术和职业兴趣。这项研究项目对美国国家科学基金会和其他美国政府机构来说既及时又重要，这些机构正在努力使全国的工程劳动力多样化。包括定量和定性研究方法，来自鲍伊州立大学和摩根州立大学的研究人员概述了一项全面的探索性混合方法研究，旨在查明影响黑人中学生对工程兴趣的不同因素，并确定哪些具体经历实际上影响了他们对工程和其他stem相关领域的理解。研究结果很可能会为中学黑人男性以及工程和其他stem相关项目和经历如何影响他们的学术兴趣和职业抱负提供重要见解。此外，中学和高等教育专业人员将能够利用项目发现来改善黑人中学生的正式和非正式工程以及其他与stem相关的学习体验。

Nationally, there is increasing interest in broadening the participation of minority males in engineering and other STEM-related fields. Compared to White and Asian males, many minority males are underrepresented in engineering. Throughout the theoretical and scientific literature, there is a dearth of research focused on minority males in engineering, especially on Black male students who have participated in engineering or other STEM-related mentoring programs and experiences. There are also very little scientific and popular literature that examines, specifically, how such programs may impact Black male middle school-aged students' academic and career interest in engineering. This research project is both timely and important to the National Science Foundation as well as other U. S. governmental agencies that are working to diversify the engineering workforce throughout the country.Comprising quantitative and qualitative research methods,investigators from Bowie State University and Morgan State University outlined a comprehensive exploratory, mixed-method study that aims to pinpoint the different factors that shape Black middle school-aged students' interest in engineering and determine what specific experiences actually influence their understanding of engineering and other STEM-related fields. It is quite likely that the research findings will offer important insights on middle school-aged, Black males and how engineering and other STEM-related programs and experiences can influence their academic interests and career aspirations. Further, secondary and postsecondary professionals will be able to use the project findings to improve formal and informal engineering and other STEM-related learning experiences for Black middle school-aged students.