"STEM Has the Power to Save the World": Students' STEM Identity Stories

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Twelve
  In Roundtable Session: STEM Student Identity (Table 1)

Abstract

What do students’ creative expressions tell us about what they value in their STEM identity development? Using storytelling, 12 STEM undergraduate and graduate students from five colleges and universities described their burgeoning scientific journeys as they developed STEM identities. We examined their stories, video recorded for a conference, to better understand the sources of support and hinderance in development of a STEM identity. Preliminary findings revealed students based their STEM identity out of their lived experiences as they navigated barriers and built support systems. Students attributed their persistence in STEM to wanting to help others and make the world a better place, and to having the opportunity for experiential learning. Storytellers expressed how STEM changes the world through scientific discovery.

Authors

• Alexis Petri, University of Missouri - Kansas City
  Presenting Author

• Tiffani A. Riggers-Piehl, University of Missouri - Kansas City
  Presenting Author