Exploring Student Service Member/Veteran STEM Career Persistence Longitudinally and in Military-Centric Contexts

该项目扩展了先前的一项研究，考察了社会支持网络与STEM职业道路上“学生服务人员/退伍军人”之间的联系，“学生服务人员/退伍军人”指的是本科生，他们是退役/退役的退伍军人。基于威斯康星州目前的调查，这项研究从三个维度扩展了数据收集。首先是纵向上沿着人口的学术轨迹，包括五年来的几个数据收集点。第二，在背景方面，增加来自地理上分散的不同军事机构的新的学生服务人员/退伍军人(SSM/V)队列。第三，通过对威斯康星州和以军事为中心的院校的学生服务人员/退伍军人以及SSM/V和非SSM/V本科生之间的STEM和非STEM职业生涯路径和社会支持特征的比较研究。这项研究关注的是未被充分研究的非传统学生群体，并有可能扩大和加强STEM的工作力量。研究人员在概念上以社会资本理论为框架，辅以基于资产的概念，将学生通过其社会网络获得的支持建模为经验性测量的资源。这项研究将回答三组研究问题。首先：随着威斯康星州SSW/V沿着STEM职业道路进一步发展，SSM/W社会支持网络如何变化；网络模式和变化如何影响STEM职业道路的持续性；SSM/V如何看待这些变化？第二：在以军事为中心的背景下，SSM/V网络如何在STEM职业道路上发生变化；网络模式和变化如何影响STEM职业道路的持续性；他们如何看待这些变化？第三：随着时间的推移，威斯康星州SSM/V、以军事为中心的SSM/V以及STEM和非STEM领域的非SSM/V之间的社会支持网络、职业道路和两者之间的联系如何比较？该项目在STEM教育和职业发展方面推进了以公平为导向的奖学金，涉及时间、制度、地理和经验因素如何影响STEM非传统学生途径。该项目由EHR核心研究(ECR)计划资助，该计划支持专注于STEM教育学习和学习环境、扩大STEM教育参与和STEM劳动力发展的基础研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project expands a prior study by examining the links between social support networks and persistence along STEM career pathways among “student service members/veterans,” defined as undergraduate students who are retired/discharged military veterans. Building on current surveys in the State of Wisconsin, the study extends the data collection along three dimensions. First is longitudinally along the population’s academic trajectories encompassing several data collection points over five years. Second is contextually by adding a new cohort of student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs) from diverse geographically dispersed military institutions. Third is comparatively by examining STEM and non-STEM career pathways and social support characteristics among student service members/veterans in Wisconsin and in military-centric institutions, as well as between SSM/Vs and non SSM/V undergraduates. The research focuses on an understudied nontraditional student population and has the potential to broaden and strengthen the STEM workforce.The investigators frame the study conceptually with the theory of social capital supplemented with asset-based concepts to model the support students receive through their social networks as empirically measured resources. The study will answer three sets of research questions. First: How do SSM/W social support networks change as Wisconsin SSW/Vs move further along STEM career pathways; how do network patterns and changes influence STEM career pathway persistence; and how do SSM/Vs perceive these changes over time? Second: How do SSM/V networks change as those in military-centric contexts traverse STEM career pathways; how do network patterns and changes influence STEM career pathway persistence; and how do they perceive these changes over time? Third: How do social support networks, career pathways, and links between the two over time compare among Wisconsin SSM/Vs, SSM/Vs in military-centric contexts, and non-SSM/Vs in STEM and non-STEM fields? The project advances equity-oriented scholarship in STEM education and career development concerning the ways temporal, institutional, geographic, and experiential factors influence nontraditional student pathways in STEM.The project is funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program that supports fundamental research focused on STEM education learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM education, 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.