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This research reports on interim findings from a National Science Foundation-funded study on the efficacy of near-peer mentoring to promote motivation and identity development among students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. The researchers facilitated a weeklong summer science mentoring program that paired career-curious high school mentees with undergraduate near-peer mentors. Designed to capture unscripted authenticity (Robin, 2008), digital storytelling (DST) was used to document unscripted, authentic interactions between mentor and mentee as they worked together in laboratories, participated in conducting experiments, and shared meals together. The presentation features video highlights and themes that emerged from the study. 

Science will truly be “open” when it attracts and retains more students from diverse communities globally. In the United States, there is a well-documented underrepresentation of students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM-related) pathways, despite evidence suggesting that these students express interest in pursuing science majors. Near peer mentoring has emerged as an effective alternative to traditional forms of mentoring. In contrast to traditional mentors, near-peers are just a few years older than mentees and thereby enjoy a shared language and greater degree of closeness. This research paper reports on a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded three-year study that is using digital storytelling (DST) to document with video the pairing of career-curious high school students (protégés) with STEM-identifying college students (near peers), who are all from underrepresented groups. This research presentation provides initial qualitative findings, and will feature video highlights from the study.