Advancing Science Identity Development in Diverse Students at the Intersection of Multiple Constructs and Contexts

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Science identity is an important non-cognitive factor that contributes to science learning, engagement, motivation, resilience, and persistence in racially and ethnically diverse students. A rich array of study designs has contributed to the growing literature on the impacts of a robust science identity and students’ agency in shaping identities, however, understanding this process for Students of Color (SoC) remains under-explored. As more intentional engagement of students’ science identities may be a critical pathway for cultivating equitable learning conditions, this symposium introduces studies of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity for SoC, and explores new questions related to shifting identities, academic and professional identity, and the variables that contribute to STEM identity in academic and community settings, including HBCU environments.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Karen Benn Marshall, Oakwood University

Papers

• Development of an Identity Shifting Scale for Black Women in STEM - Danielle Dickens, Spelman College; Naomi Hall-Byers, Winston-Salem State University

• African American Male Undergraduate Science Identity Development: What Does It Take? - Carmen Bucknor, Oakwood University

• Science Identity Development in Students of Color: Friends, Family Networks, and Scholarship - Sylvia Margaret Butterfield, National Science Foundation; Karen Benn Marshall, Oakwood University

• A Snapshot: The Role of Support Networks in Black Undergraduate Students' STEM Identity - Mwenda O. Kudumu, North Carolina State University; Porche' L. Spence, North Carolina A&T State University; Zakiya Leggett, North Carolina A&T State University

Discussant

• Joaquin Noguera, University of California - Santa Barbara