Unpacking the "Black Box" of Underrepresented Minority Students' Postsecondary Experiences

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: Power and Representation in STEM Education: Contesting the "Black Box" of Inclusion

Abstract

Our research examines the post-secondary experiences of underrepresented minority students who were high achieving in their high school math and science classes and attended four different public non-charter high schools in Buffalo. In this paper, we examine how and why particular experiences contribute to different post-secondary academic outcomes, such as college degree completion, for low-income high achieving students. Our research asks, how do underrepresented minority and high achieving students understand their post-secondary experiences in relation to their own career decisions and academic opportunities? We argue that while under-achievement and personality-mismatch drive major-choice in college, interest and passion about science and math are not enough to reverse the experienced deficiency in high-level math and science coursework in high school.

Authors

• Carolina Rojas-Pion, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Rachel Fix Dominguez, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Lois Weis, University at Buffalo - SUNY