Underrepresented Minority Students in STEM Negotiating Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: Learning and Development Through STEM

Abstract

This study used qualitative constructivist grounded theory research methods to explore with focus groups of 12 racial/ethnic minority undergraduates underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) their experiences of microaggressions, influences on their evolving STEM identity, and their strategies to cope with these experiences. Participants shared striking examples of their experiences with subtle yet frequent racial/ethnic assaults, though often unintentional, that denigrated their worth and implied they did not belong in college or STEM fields. They also shared powerful examples of strategies they used for navigating microaggresions and persisting in their academic pursuits in STEM.

Authors

• Christie-Belle Garcia, Fordham Graduate School of Education

• Margo A. Jackson, Fordham University