Native STEM Portraits: A Mixed-Methods Study of Persistence of Native Undergraduate Students

• In Event: STEM Matters: The Importance of Centering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Students

Abstract

Native undergraduates are severely underrepresented in STEM education relative to their representation in the U.S. population. Drawing from a larger NSF-funded, mixed-methods study, this paper identifies factors influencing Native undergraduates’ decisions to persist in STEM undergraduate education. Major barriers to persistence are identified as racial discrimination and a lack of sense of belonging. Major supports are identified as family, community, and student programs; opportunities for giving back and Nation building; and using their Native identities as a source of pride in their STEM studies. Drawing upon critical race theory, particularly aspects of counternarratives and asset-based approaches to learning, this study foregrounds participants’ voices through photo elicitation and focuses on cultivating more equitable systems to foster Native students’ persistence in STEM.

Authors

• Maria Ong, TERC

• Matthew J. Madison, University of Georgia

• Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, TERC

• Kathy DeerInWater, American Indian Science & Engineering Society

• Christina Bebe, TERC

• Selay Zor, University of Georgia

• Lisette Esmeralda Torres-Gerald, TERC

• Tiffany D. Smith, AISES