Underrepresented Minority STEM Faculty Members' Motivation for Research: A Multigroup Structural Equation Model Predicting Success

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: STEM: Teaching, Faculty, and Intercultural Competence

Abstract

As gender, racial, and ethnic inequality are at the forefront of social justice initiatives, equality and inclusion for under-represented minority (URM) university faculty need a well-deserved and overdue consideration. The current study examined the motivation of self-identify URM to conduct research compared to non-URM faculty. Six-hundred and fifty-one faculty from 10 USA institutions completed an online survey. Of the participants, 37.5% self-identified as URM, of which 81% were women, 20% non-White, and 6% Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity. For non-URM, autonomous motivation (enjoyment, value) positively related to research success, whereas for URM faculty a lack of introjected motivation (guilt) was the strongest predictor of research success. URM faculty motivation was fostered by autonomy, lower competence and relatedness, which have implications for faculty development.

Authors

• Mojdeh J Mardani, University of North Dakota

• Robert H. Stupnisky, University of North Dakota