Designing Postbaccalaureate Training to Enhance Science Self-Efficacy, Identity, Sense of Belonging, and Critical Environmental Agency

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Program Development (Table 1)

Abstract

Our study explores a yearlong, cohort based postbaccalaureate science training program (MROC2S) designed using critical environmental agency to enhance participants’ self-efficacy, identity, and sense of belonging. The following shared values were important to our design of MROC2S: inclusive mentoring, critical consciousness of place, and broadening participation. We examine the participants attracted to MROC2S and whether there are demographic differences compared to other similarly funded postbaccalaureate training programs. We further explore what the selected participants hope to achieve in their training experiences and what shared values they bring to the program community. Our findings broaden the understanding of how science training programs can be structured to use inclusive mentoring to aid the integration of diverse participants into the scientific workforce.

Authors

• Lacey D. Huffling, Georgia Southern University

• Checo Colon-Gaud, Georgia Southern University

• Asli Aslan, Georgia Southern University

• Dawayne Whittington, Strategic Evaluations, Inc.

• Kelly Fraidenburg, Georgia Southern University

• Diana Leyva, Georgia Southern University