Title: The Impact of an Online Peer Mentoring Program on Stem Students at Two Historically Black Institutions During the COVID 19 Pandemic
To address the continuing disparity in the representation of women and racial and ethnically minoritized populations in STEM, an online peer mentoring program, eSTEM, was developed, implemented, and tested among undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in STEM degree programs at two historically black institutions. Using a case study design, participants’ experiences in the program were evaluated to determine the degree to which their participation impacted their STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity, and intent to persist in STEM. Several themes were identified which demonstrate that the eSTEM program is effective in enhancing students’ feelings of self-efficacy, sense of community and belonging in STEM, STEM identity and understanding of intersecting identities, and in sustaining their intent to persist in STEM degree programs and careers.
Wendt, Jillian L.; Jones, Vivian O.(
, International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education)
Purpose
Racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers. Peer mentoring is one strategy that can support their participation. This study explores the experiences of Black women peer mentors in an online peer mentoring program at two historically Black institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore the impact of an online peer mentoring program on peer mentors' STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity and intent to persist in STEM.
Findings
Analysis identified five themes relating to peer mentors' experiences in the program: (1) an “I can do this” approach: confidence and self-efficacy; (2) utility of like others; (3) “beacons of light”: intersecting and malleable identities; (4) skills development and (5) motivation and reciprocity. Further, challenges of the online relationship were shared.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the utility of an online peer mentoring model among women mentors enrolled in STEM programs at two historically Black institutions. The findings support those who are historically marginalized in participating in and remaining in STEM.
Zhu, Liang; Sun, Shuyan; Timmie Topoleski, L. D.; Eggleton, Charles; Ma, Ronghui; Madan, Deepa(
, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering)
null
(Ed.)
Abstract Since 2009, the mechanical engineering (ME) scholarship-science technology engineering and mathematics (S-STEM) Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) has provided financial support and program activities to ME undergraduate students aiming at improving their retention and graduation rates. The objective of this study is to identify program activities that were most effective to help students for improvements. Current ME S-STEM scholars were asked to complete a survey that measures their scientific efficacy, engineering identity, expectations, integration, and sense of belonging, as well as how program activities impact their attitudes and perceptions. Analyses of 36 collected surveys showed that scholars reported high levels of engineering identity, expectations, and sense of belonging. However, further improvements were needed to help students in achieving scientific efficacy and academic integration into the program. Results demonstrated that pro-active mentoring was the most effective method contributing to positive attitudes and perceptions. The implemented S-STEM research-related activities and internship were viewed favorably by the scholars in helping them establish their scientific efficacy and engineering identity, and understand their expectations and goals. Community building activities were considered helpful for them to integrate into campus life and improve their sense of belonging to the campus and program. Scholars identified mentoring, research related activities, internships, and social interaction with faculty and their peers as important factors for their retention and graduation. Although the sample size was small in the study, we believe that the cost-effective activities identified could be adopted by other institutions to further improve students' retention and graduation rates in engineering programs.
The research and evaluation team of an S-STEM project at a large, research-intensive Southeastern public university conducted a cross-sectional survey as a first step to compare factors which may influence undergraduate student persistence in engineering and computing. All engineering and computing students were invited to participate in the survey, and 282 (10.4%) provided responses. The respondents included 15 high financial need students who were participating in the S-STEM program, of which 7 were first-year students and 8 were sophomores. The remaining 267 respondents were undergraduates ranging from first-year to seniors. Survey questions were adapted from previously developed instruments on self-efficacy, sense-of-belonging, identity, community involvement, and overall college experience. Additional questions related to stress levels, academic life, use and effectiveness of academic supports, and the impacts of COVID-19 on their college experiences. The team compared responses by level of academic progression, declared major, gender, and race/ethnicity.
Student responses showed a variety of similarities and differences between subgroups. Overall, the students said that they often attended lectures (in-person or online) and came to class prepared. At the same time, students rated these activities as the least effective academic supports. On the other hand, the students rated working assigned or extra homework problems and studying for exams as their most effective activities. Consistently among the subgroups, the students said their community involvement and identity as developing engineers were relatively low while self-efficacy and team self-efficacy were seen as stronger personal skills. The students said they were highly stressed about their grades and academic success in general, and about finances and future careers. They reported feeling less stress about aspects such as living away from home and negotiating the university social scene. Students reported spending the most time preparing for class in their first year compared to students in later years.
Female students (104 responses) reported higher levels of community involvement, engineering identity, and engagement in college life compared to male students (142 responses) while there was little gender-related difference in self-efficacy and sense of belonging. Levels of self-efficacy and team self-efficacy did not show large differences based on year in college. Interestingly, first-year students expressed the highest levels of engineering identity while senior students the lowest. Senior students reported the lowest community involvement, sense of belonging, and engineering identity compared to other students. Overall, students from different races self-reported the same levels of self-efficacy. Black/African American students reported the highest levels of community involvement, college life, and identity. There were no substantial differences in self-efficacy among the different engineering and computing majors.
This study is a first step in analysis of the students’ input. In addition to surveying the students, the team also conducted interviews of the participating S-STEM students, and analysis of these interviews will provide greater depth to interpretation of the survey results. Overall, the research and evaluation team’s intention is to provide insight to the project’s leadership in how best to support the success of first-year engineering and computing students.
https://peer.asee.org/student-persistence-factors-for-engineering-and-computing-undergraduates
Boyce, Ayesha S; Avent, Cherie; Adetogun, Adeyemo; Hall, Christopher; Sametz, Lynn; Phillips, P Lee; Kane, Amelia; Patton, Jeffrey; Petersen, Kimberly; Schug, Malcolm(
, Journal of college science teaching)
Wojnowski, David
(Ed.)
Since 2010, the National Science
Foundation (NSF)–funded Science,
Technology, and Math Preparation
Scholarships (STAMPS) project
has provided financial and community support for undergraduate
students at the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
in STEM majors. In this article,
the authors explore the impact
of STAMPS on how cohorts support students’ sense of belonging,
self-efficacy, and science identity.
A mixed-methods design approach
enabled the collection of multiple
types of data that could be used to
examine participants’ experiences.
Key findings suggest that participation in the STAMPS program has
increased students’ self-efficacy,
science identity, and sense of belonging. Students reported feeling a
bolstered self-efficacy primarily due
to interactions with other students,
faculty, and scientists during class,
field trips, and presentations. Peer
and faculty mentors and STAMPS
events were most frequently cited
as being responsible for impacting
science identity. UNCG-specific
and STAMPS events assisted in
the formation of students’ sense of
belonging.
In response to the low representation of Latinx adults in STEM occupations, this community-based participatory action research study aims to increase the number of middle school youths developing STEM career identities and entering high school with the intention to pursue STEM careers. The students were provided with summer and after-school activities focusing on network science and career development curricula. Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design and career narratives, this study examined the changes in STEM and career self-efficacy, as well as career identity. The results show improvements in self-efficacy, an increased number of youths with intentions of pursuing future STEM career opportunities, and deeper reflections on their talents and skills after program participation. This paper also describes the program development and implementation in detail, as well as the adaptations that resulted from COVID-19, for scholars and educators designing similar programs. This study provides promising evidence for the quality of STEM and career development lessons in supporting the emergence of a STEM career identity and self-efficacy.
Wendt, Jillian L. The Impact of an Online Peer Mentoring Program on Stem Students at Two Historically Black Institutions During the COVID 19 Pandemic. Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10432373. AIJR Proceedings . Web. doi:10.21467/proceedings.148.5.
Wendt, Jillian L. The Impact of an Online Peer Mentoring Program on Stem Students at Two Historically Black Institutions During the COVID 19 Pandemic. AIJR Proceedings, (). Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10432373. https://doi.org/10.21467/proceedings.148.5
@article{osti_10432373,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {The Impact of an Online Peer Mentoring Program on Stem Students at Two Historically Black Institutions During the COVID 19 Pandemic},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10432373},
DOI = {10.21467/proceedings.148.5},
abstractNote = {To address the continuing disparity in the representation of women and racial and ethnically minoritized populations in STEM, an online peer mentoring program, eSTEM, was developed, implemented, and tested among undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in STEM degree programs at two historically black institutions. Using a case study design, participants’ experiences in the program were evaluated to determine the degree to which their participation impacted their STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity, and intent to persist in STEM. Several themes were identified which demonstrate that the eSTEM program is effective in enhancing students’ feelings of self-efficacy, sense of community and belonging in STEM, STEM identity and understanding of intersecting identities, and in sustaining their intent to persist in STEM degree programs and careers.},
journal = {AIJR Proceedings},
author = {Wendt, Jillian L.},
}
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