BCSER: Understanding how student identities shape STEM retention: exploring perceptions of in-class interpersonal relationships and institutional and discipline inclusivity

该能力建设项目包括一项研究，旨在衡量STEM课堂中突出的一系列社会身份，以了解身份如何塑造对课堂的看法，与同龄人和导师的人际关系以及对机构和学科包容性的看法，以及这些因素如何影响STEM专业和职业中边缘化身份的保留。该项目将同时探索多个学生身份和身份之间的相互作用，并探索边缘化身份如何影响南阿拉巴马大学STEM专业学生对课堂动态、机构包容性、STEM包容性和保留率的看法。该研究将允许研究者评估学生与学生互动和学生与教师互动的哪些方面对STEM课程中的多个边缘化身份最具挑战性。此外，研究者将探索机构包容性的感知是如何被多重身份塑造的，并确定多重身份和它们之间的相互作用是如何塑造科学家是谁、曾经是谁和可以成为谁的现有刻板印象的。研究者建议实施一项专业发展计划，通过加强定量数据方法技能，利用社区生态学的专业知识开展STEM教育研究。该计划包括与顾问的互动以及与本科STEM公平与多样性（EDU-STEM）网络的合作。研究者将调查四个研究问题：(1)多重身份如何影响课堂上的学生-学生动态、学生-教师动态、对小组工作的看法以及STEM教室内的整体舒适度？(2)多元身份如何塑造制度归属感和制度包容性感知？(3)多重身份如何塑造学科归属感、从事科学的信心和对核心科学原理的认识？(4)课堂动态、机构包容性和学科包容性之间的相互作用如何影响STEM专业和职业中代表性不足群体的保留？数据将通过对STEM课程的调查来收集，以衡量研究变量。这些数据将用于量化班级内人际关系、机构包容性和学科包容性如何决定具有多种边缘身份的学生的保留率。该项目将为包容性教学法提供有针对性的干预措施，这些干预措施可以通过教师研讨会实施，旨在提高教师对学生身份的认识，以关注包容性教学法。该项目由ECR核心研究项目的STEM教育研究能力建设竞赛资助。ECR支持以STEM学习和学习环境、扩大STEM参与和STEM专业劳动力发展为重点的基础研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This capacity building project includes a study to measure a suite of social identities salient in STEM classrooms to understand how identities shape perceptions of in-class, interpersonal relationships with peers and instructors and perceptions of institutional and disciplinary inclusivity and how these factors impact retention of marginalized identities in STEM majors and careers. The project will simultaneously explore multiple student identities and interactions among identities and explore how marginalized identities shape perceptions of in-class dynamics, institutional inclusivity, STEM inclusivity, and retention across STEM majors at the University of South Alabama. The study will allow the investigator to assess which aspects of student-student interactions and student-instructor interactions are most challenging to multiple marginalized identities in STEM courses. Additionally, the investigator will explore how perceptions of institutional inclusivity are shaped by multiple identities and determine how multiple identities and interactions among them shape existing stereotypes of who scientists are, have been, and can be. The investigator proposes to implement a professional development plan that leverages expertise in community ecology to conduct STEM education research by strengthening quantitative data methodology skills. The plan includes interaction with advisors and collaboration with the Equity and Diversity in Undergraduate STEM (EDU-STEM) network. The investigator will investigate four research questions: (1) How do multiple identities shape in-class student-student dynamics, student-faculty dynamics, perceptions of group work, and overall comfort within STEM classrooms?, (2) How do multiple identities shape institutional sense of belonging and perceptions of institutional inclusivity? , (3) How do multiple identities shape disciplinary sense of belonging, confidence in conducting science, and knowledge of core scientific principles?, and (4) How do the interactions among in-class dynamics, institutional inclusivity, and discipline inclusivity impact the retention of underrepresented groups in STEM majors and careers? Data will be collected through surveys across STEM courses to measure the research variables. The data will be used to quantify how in-class interpersonal relationships, institutional inclusivity, and discipline inclusivity determine retention rates of students identifying with multiple marginalized identities. The project will inform targeted interventions for inclusive pedagogies that can be implemented through faculty workshops aimed at improving faculty consciousness of student identities to focus on inclusive pedagogies. The project is funded by the Building Capacity in STEM Education Research competition of the ECR Core Research program. ECR supports fundamental research that focuses on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM professional workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.