Intersectional STEM Network Formation: Longitudinal Peer Support, Anti-Blackness, and Persistence in STEM for Underrepresented Students

• In Event: 32.083 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 32.083-4 - Curriculum and Pedagogy in Support of STEM Engagement Among Groups of Students That Have Been Historically Marginalized

Abstract

Interventions aimed at addressing the severe and persistent underrepresentation of racial minorities in STEM often enlist forms of social support as a critical resource for persistence. However the impact of race and gender identities on peer STEM network formation are rarely examined. This study explored the complex differences between peer networks formed in a high school STEM program and their impact on persistence in undergraduate STEM studies. While underrepresented STEM undergraduate students were significantly more likely to report relying on longitudinal and intersectional peer support to persist each year than their non-STEM peers, social networks were somewhat weaker for females of African descent in undergraduate STEM programs. This study has implications for STEM persistence modeling for underrepresented students of color.

Authors

• Frieda McAlear, Kapor Center for Social Impact

• Allison Scott, Kapor Center for Social Impact

• Alexis Martin, Kapor Center for Social Impact