An Intergenerational STEM Mentorship Program’s Impacts on Advancing Equity and Title IX for Female Students

• In Event: Unforgetting Legal Precedent: Illuminating the Roots of Discrimination and Forging Equitable Futures in Education

Abstract

Study Purpose
This paper introduces a multi-methods study of an intergenerational STEM mentorship program’s impacts on advancing Title IX and providing equal benefits to female middle school and college students in male-dominant STEM fields (NSF, 2024). Dr. Chang will present how this study supports Title IX and informs inclusive educational environments that foster success for all students in STEM.

Perspective
The perspective guiding this study is Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Federal Register, 2020). For this study, particular attention is paid to the program’s outcomes in supporting equal access for female and male students to participate in and benefit from educational programs or activities.

Methods
This study employs a mixed methods design to examine an intergenerational mentorship program for minoritized middle school and college students. It includes a quasi-experimental quantitative study with middle school participants and a qualitative study with college student participants. All participants joined a year-long STEM mentorship program in 2022-2023, where college students mentored middle schoolers in STEM subjects while receiving mentorship from STEM professionals regarding their academic pursuits and professional development.

The quantitative study sampled 498 middle school students (Treatment=229; Control=269) (Female=252; Male=246) using data collected from the PEAR CIS-S survey. Researchers conducted hierarchical linear regression and ANOVA analyses for group comparisons and pre-test/post-test comparisons by gender. The qualitative study included 43 interview transcripts from 36 college student participants, 20 of whom identified as female, 12 as male, and 4 as other. Researchers used Boyatzis’ (1998) approach (e.g., coding, thematic development, and sense-making) for data analysis.

Preliminary Findings
Findings from both data sets affirm the program’s support for Title IX by fostering female students' participation and success in STEM. The quantitative study found a statistically significant relationship (p<.05) in female students' STEM identity development between the treatment and control groups, indicating the program’s benefits (e.g., STEM identity development) for female participants. Additionally, treatment group students (female and male) reported statistically significantly higher levels of STEM identity development (p<.01) compared to their control group counterparts, suggesting the program provides equal benefits to all participants.

Qualitative findings highlighted college students' perspectives on the program’s role in supporting equal access and benefits for all students. Elena described the program as “evening the playing field [to] reach equity. [The program gives] people the opportunity and an actual path so that they can reach things they might not have been able to on their own. I think that is what social justice [is], like things we can do to eventually reach equity.”

Study Significance
This analysis contributes to scholarship by centering issues of gender equity and Title IX. The findings affirm the program’s positive impact on supporting female middle school and college students through fostering their STEM identity and empowerment in a male-dominant field. This study provides legal references and empirical evidence to demonstrate the importance of equity-based mentorship programs in advancing equity in STEM for both K-12 and higher education.

Author

• Ting-Han Chang, William Paterson University