Purpose The purposes of this study were to describe the roles mentors enacted as part of an afterschool science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program and how those roles varied across three sites and to explain those differences. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a comparative case study design and collected data primarily from interviews with program mentors and observations of the sessions. Findings The authors found that the mentors played four roles, depending on the school site: teachers, friends, support and role models. Mentors interpreted cues from the environment in light of their own identities, which ultimately led them to construct a plausible understanding of their roles as mentors. Research limitations/implications The authors identify four mentoring roles that are somewhat consistent with prior research and demonstrate that the roles mentors enact can vary systematically across sites, and these variations can be explained by sensemaking. This study also contributes to research on mentoring roles by elaborating each identified role and offering a framework to explain variability in mentor role enactment. Practical implications The authors recommend that mentoring program directors discuss the roles that mentors may enact with mentors as part of their training and that they engage mentors in identity work and also recommend that program managers create unstructured time for mentors to socialize outside STEM activities with their mentees. Originality/value This study contributes to mentoring research by using sensemaking theory to highlight how and why mentoring roles differ across school sites. 
                        more » 
                        « less   
                    
                            
                            Mentors’ Learning Support Roles and Their Impact On Girls’ Identity Imaginations.
                        
                    
    
            Mentoring programs have been intentionally designed to support Black and Latina girls in pursuing STEAM. Here, we examine how the support roles mentors play in an OST STEAM program relate to younger girls’ imaginings of their own identities. Findings from surveys taken by middle-school girls and mentors indicate that by the end of the program year, girls showed more willingness to imagine themselves in various identities, relating to the support roles mentors most often played. 
        more » 
        « less   
        
    
                            - Award ID(s):
- 1850505
- PAR ID:
- 10336657
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2021 International Society of the Learning Sciences Annual Meeting
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
- 
            
- 
            Blikstein, P; Van_Aalst, J; Kizito, R; Brennan, K (Ed.)Broadening participation in computing requires a deeper understanding of how to support girls of color in developing computing identities, or views of themselves as active participants within computing. We propose the concept of authentic invitations as a promising avenue for supporting girls of color in developing computing identities. To illustrate the three proposed dimensions of an authentic invitation, we highlight the experiences of Deandra, a 16- year-old Black girl who participated in an informal computing program for girls of color hosted in public libraries. Our findings show how offering voluntary, contextual, and responsive invitations to participate in computing can support girls of color in authoring computing identities that integrate their social and personal experiences.more » « less
- 
            Maker activities help students connect to STEAM content through hands-on activities that emphasize the roles of mentors, peers, and in-person interaction with physical artifacts. Despite the positive affordances of these activities, they do not translate well to online settings. Without immediate in-person feedback mechanisms, unstructured making activities may lead to frustration and decreased engagement. How do communities help students develop identities as future engineers if local help and mentorship is not available? The proposed study aims to address challenges of scaffolding collaboration during remote maker sessions through investigation of a novel projection device that allows users to talk & share gestures around a common physical artifact while in separate locations.more » « less
- 
            Recent STEAM programs have made accomplishments in recruiting K-12 girl students to participate in STEAM activities. Educational researchers have called for studies of how STEM programs engage girls. However, little research has embedded STEM education with girl education such as their emotional needs, identity, and self-expression. This study examined how crochet that was embedded in a STEM summer camp impacted their sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, and STEAM learning. For this qualitative study, surveys were conducted with 37 student participants and Discord was used as part of the data sources. Findings indicated that crocheting enhanced students’ sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, as well as STEM learning. This study contributes to the STEM learning program design for girls in secondary schools with two closely related theories: constructivist learning environment theory and sense of belonging theory. This study added new knowledge to the research of crochet in girl education and STEM program design.more » « less
- 
            This study examined the experiences of near-peer women mentors in an out-ofschool time (OST) STEM program for middle school girls of color. 11 mentors reported and reflected upon their overall experiences in interviews. Key findings include that, for example, training is an essential part of mentors’ work; they wish to have more training on pedagogy and more opportunities to bond with other mentors. This study extends the literature on STEM mentoring in OST environments, deepens the understanding of mentors’ experience in STEM programming, and provides important implications for mentor training and OST STEM program design, such as providing opportunities for reflective practices to understand mentor needs, supporting mentors’ non-STEM skill development, involving mentors in working towards the program goal, and fostering community building among women mentors.more » « less
 An official website of the United States government
An official website of the United States government 
				
			 
					 
					
 
                                    