STEM Identity Development Among Minoritized College Students through an Intergenerational, Culturally Responsive Mentorship Program

• In Event: Social Justice and Repair: Addressing Systemic Inequities and Discrimination in Education

Abstract

Purpose and Objective
This paper introduces a qualitative study that examines the impacts of an intergenerational mentorship program on minoritized college students’ STEM identity development guided by Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) science identity model. Dr. Chang will go over the study design and its findings that indicate the importance of an asset-based, culturally responsive mentorship program on fostering these students’ STEM identity development. This project has important implications regarding advancing racial equity and social justice for minoritized students’ higher education persistence and career pursuits in STEM.

Conceptual Framework
The study’s conceptual framework is Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) science identity model. This framework is fitting due to this study’s interest in understanding science identity among minoritized STEM college students. Carlone and Johnson conceptualized science identity with three dimensions: competence, performance, and recognition. Competence refers to a person displaying knowledge of science content and motivation to understand the world scientifically. Performance underlines a person’s ability in scientific practices in various settings. Recognition consists of two parts: a person acknowledges themselves as a science person, or a person being recognized by meaningful others.

Methods
This study is part of a larger, longitudinal, multiple methods research investigating an intergenerational mentorship program for minoritized college and middle school students. This analysis included the qualitative study portion on college student participants. The study participants were 30 college student participants in Spring 2022 and/or Fall 2022. During the program, participants received mentorship from STEM professionals and provided mentorship to middle students. In analyzing the interview data, the researchers applied Boyatizs’ (1998) approach including coding, thematic development, and sense-making. Primary codes were developed using the conceptual framework. Each code encompassed sub-codes and qualitatively rich content that supported thematic development. After identifying preliminary and salient themes relevant to participants' STEM identity, we proceeded to sense-making. The interview data was organized and analyzed using NVivo.

Findings
The study findings affirmed Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) science identity model’s three dimensions while adding empirical insights into how the study participants perceived and understood their STEM identity development through this program. With the competence dimension, students exemplified this aspect through commonly describing their capability in mentoring science or math to middle school mentees. Next, for the performance dimension, college students identified their growth by highlighting their engagement in various scientific talks and interactions with middle schoolers. Lastly, for the recognition dimension, students discussed their own recognition and being acknowledged by their professional mentors and middle school mentees all being crucial in fostering their STEM identity development.

Significance of the Study
This analysis contributes to extant scholarship and practice with empirical findings that demonstrate the meaningful impacts of an intergenerational STEM mentorship program on fostering STEM identity growth among minoritized college students. Specifically, the study findings recommend the utility of the science identity model and the importance of attending to students’ sensemaking of their respective STEM identity. In short, this study is significant in advancing scholarly knowledge and informing educational practices in promoting equity for minoritized college students’ STEM identity development.

Author

• Ting-Han Chang, William Paterson University