Promotion of Productive STEM Identity in Underrepresented/Minoritized Secondary Mathematics Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Forward to the Future: Research and Transformative Critical Content (Table 14)

Abstract

This mixed methods research study analyzed the development of student STEM identity in underrepresented/minoritized (URM) high school mathematics students by highlighting effective identity-building strategies implemented in the context of integrated STEM instruction (Civil, 2016). As a teacher-researcher, I identified student changes in three traits associated with productive STEM identity: agency, belongingness, and self-efficacy (Cobb, et al., 2009; Brickhouse & Potter, 2001; Carlone & Johnson, 2007). Using a funds of knowledge approach, I re-envisioned STEM learning as a cultural process that embraced relevant and authentic contexts provided by my students (Civil, 2016). Results show that embedding student-informed STEM activities in a mathematics course can promote productive STEM identity development in URM students. Implications on future research and learning are provided.

Author

• Michele Mahady Haberlach, Washington State University - Vancouver