Staying in Science: Investigating STEM Persistence Among High School Youth

美国自然历史博物馆计划调查从高中到大学早期的指导研究与青年STEM轨迹之间的关系。这项研究建立在以前资助的项目上，该项目研究了733名高中生的经历，他们通过纽约市科学研究指导联盟参加了校外深入的科学研究和指导计划。目前的研究将研究380名初始参与者如何在大学，劳动力准备和初始工作期间克服障碍和偏见，以及这些经验的机构设置如何有助于归属感和支持或功能，以进一步边缘化他们并挑战他们追求STEM教育的动机。这项研究将采取创新的方法，研究以下方面的关系和变化：（1）青年参与与持续的、有指导的科学研究经验有关的实践社区;（2）青年的社交网络;（3）青年的学术成就，以确定他们的途径和支持的变化。 该项目将产生基于证据的调查结果，以定位STEM教育和劳动力发展计划，以实施更有效的扩大参与战略。纵向研究设计的概念框架是Bronfenbrenner生态模型，使研究人员能够对先前研究的结果和理论知识基础做出回应，这些知识基础为历史上被边缘化的青年提供了介导STEM持续性的因素。调查人员将调查有关占主导地位的体制结构如何提供或限制STEM学习和边缘化青年的经验整合，以及科学中的客观性和中立性以及精英文化的主张如何影响这些青年的机会。 研究人员将使用混合方法来回答三个研究问题：（1）哪些因素影响对STEM专业和职业的追求的承诺或分歧？(2)机构、实习和工作场所如何为学生创造机会、经验和战略，以培养归属感或使青年边缘化？(3)青年人在大学、劳动力准备经历和第一份工作中遇到的障碍和偏见、陈规定型观念和微观侵略是如何经历和管理的？ 该研究将重点关注在2017年或2018年完成指导研究的校友。调查将从概念框架中探索关键结构，所有调查人员将研究设计中的理论变量操作化。数据来源包括对校友和重要成年人的调查，社交网络分析调查和访谈。该研究将深入了解STEM领域在代表性不足的人群中对STEM的兴趣和持久性日益增加所面临的关键挑战。 该项目由EHR核心研究计划支持，该计划资助STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究，扩大STEM领域的参与，以及STEM劳动力发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The American Museum of Natural History plans to investigate the relationship between mentored research and youths’ STEM trajectory from high school to early college. The study builds on a previously funded project that examined the experiences of 733 high school youth who participated in an out-of-school, in-depth science research and mentoring program through the New York City Science Research Mentoring Consortium. The current study will examine how 380 of the initial participants navigate obstacles and biases during college, workforce preparation, and initial jobs, and how the institutional settings for these experiences contribute to a sense of belonging and support or function to further marginalize them and challenge their motivation to pursue STEM education. The study will take an innovative approach of studying relationships among and changes in (1) youths’ participation in communities of practice associated with sustained, mentored science research experience; (2) youths’ social networks; and (3) youths’ academic achievement to identify variations in their pathways and supports. The project will generate evidence-based findings to position STEM education and workforce development initiatives to implement more effective broadening participation strategies.The conceptual framework for the longitudinal research design is the Bronfenbrenner ecological model that enables the investigators to respond to the findings from the prior study and to the theoretical knowledge base that informs factors that mediate STEM persistence for historically marginalized youth. The investigators will investigate questions about how dominant institutional structures afford or limit STEM learning and integration of experiences for marginalized youth and how claims of objectivity and neutrality and a culture of meritocracy in the sciences affect opportunities for such youth. The investigators will use a mixed-methods approach to answer three research questions: (1) What factors influence commitment to, or divergence from, a pursuit of a STEM major and career? (2) How do institutions, internships, and workplaces create opportunities, experiences, and strategies for students to develop a sense of belonging or function to marginalize youth? (3) In what ways do youth experience and manage obstacles and biases, stereotypes, and microaggressions that they encounter in college, workforce preparation experiences, and first jobs? The study will focus on alumni who completed their mentored research in 2017 or 2018. Surveys will explore key constructs from the conceptual framework that all the investigators to operationalize the theoretical variables in the research design. The sources of data include surveys with alumni and significant adults, social network analysis surveys, and interviews. The study will provide insight into a key challenge that STEM fields face in increasing interest and persistence in STEM among underrepresented populations. This project is supported by the EHR Core Research program that funds fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM 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.