Mentorship of Women in STEM: Best Practices for Institutional Administrators Using a Critical Feminist Lens

• In Event: Educationally Responsible Pedagogy of Cross-Cultural, Women's Peer Mentorship, Including Mentoring During a Global Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives
Over the last several decades educational and workforce mentoring programs have been implemented to encourage retention and success for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). These programs aim to help women offset challenges within historically male-dominated fields, where implementation and results vary widely. Here we highlight (i) lessons learned from over 60 female STEM mentoring programs, and (ii) best practices for institutional administrators to implement programs with the goal of retaining females in STEM fields.

Theoretical Framework
Critical feminist theory (CFT) places women at the center of the research, exposes sex and gender inequity, and explores the ways power and privilege are granted or denied (Martell & Steves, 2018). We use this framework to understand the goals and impact of mentoring programs and how they support retention and occupational advancement of women in STEM.

Modes of inquiry
A meta-synthesis approach (Cooper, 2016; Higgins, 2016) was used to review existing literature on STEM mentoring programs from 2010-2018. Two research questions guided our inquiry: (1) what are challenges and barriers women in STEM fields experience?, and (2) what mentoring approaches were used to help mitigate these challenges?

Data Sources
Peer-reviewed journal articles and reports were searched in databases (e.g. ERIC, JSTOR, Google scholar). The key search terms included “mentor or mentoring,” “women,” “STEM” and ”post-secondary support.” Limiting our search to peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and national reports published in English yielded 1,310 (2010-15) and 709 (2016-18) items, of which we selected 67 papers for deeper analysis.

Results
Lessons Learned
Traditional models of mentoring, such as institutional enforced mentoring programs have shown to be less successful for women as measured by retention, professional success, and self-stated professional satisfaction (Diekman, Brown, Johnston, & Clark, 2010). Successful programs include symposia featuring strong female role models in the STEM workforce, mentoring in the form of graduate/undergraduate pairs, online forums, and peer cohorts. Each mentoring method serves different needs depending on which stage women are in along their STEM path.
Best Practices for Administrators, Educational Leaders, and Program Developers
Administrators, educational leaders and program developers should address the following questions: (1) What purpose is the mentoring program intended to serve?, (2) Is the goal to support women’s introduction into the field or to disrupt the status quo?, (3) Is the goal to place women in places of power or in positions where they are empowered to advocate for themselves in instances of discrimination, chauvinism, racism, and sexism? It is critical that systematic evaluation of existing programs is made to identify areas and opportunities to broaden participation, diversity and inclusion.

Scholarly Significance of the Study
This study adds to the epistemology of mentoring women in STEM through feminist discourse. While women face many challenges along STEM pathways, quality mentoring programs offer a way to mitigate these challenges through personal and professional support. By examining effective mentoring programs, this study aims to increase the availability and development of quality mentoring programs for women in STEM.

Authors

• Jillian Cadwell, Washington State University - Tri-Cities

• Makini Z. Beck, Rochester Institute of Technology

• Anne L. Kern, University of Idaho

• Ke Wu, University of Montana

• Moni Dickerson