scholarly journals The influence of expressive and instrumental social capital from parents on women and underrepresented minority students’ declaration and persistence in engineering majors

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Puccia ◽  
Julie P. Martin ◽  
Chrystal A. S. Smith ◽  
Gladis Kersaint ◽  
Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
White Women ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Engineering Majors ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Parental Encouragement ◽  
And Mathematics

Abstract Background Social capital, defined as the people one knows and the resources available through that network of people, has been a key variable in research examining the participation of women and underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study focuses on two types of social capital: instrumental (concrete advice and resources) and expressive (emotional support and encouragement). The analysis of interviews with 55 White women and women and men underrepresented minority engineering undergraduate students shows how the instrumental and expressive social capital received from parents influenced their students’ declaration of and persistence in the engineering major. Within this analysis, we considered students’ transition to adulthood and the corresponding expectation that parents would still provide support but allow their children to independently determine their own paths. Results Participants shared the advice they received from people in their social networks, with the majority of participants highlighting parents as a major contributor of instrumental and expressive social capital. Instrumental social capital was helpful in students’ major declarations and offered them an opportunity to further develop their interests and aptitude in STEM as well as a pathway for obtaining an engineering degree. During the first year of their engineering major, students relied heavily on the expressive social capital of parents when considering whether to stay in engineering; parental encouragement of “you can do it” became a common resource. Conclusions These findings offer nuance to explanations of social capital’s influence on STEM degree major declaration and persistence, which often use deficit approaches. In highlighting the resources of social capital, especially expressive support, this work offers educators a new frame of reference for building upon the valuable advice offered by parents to their children completing engineering majors.

scholarly journals “Looking at Myself in the Future”: how mentoring shapes scientific identity for STEM students from underrepresented groups

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn Atkins ◽  
Bryan M. Dougan ◽  
Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen ◽  
Hannah Potter ◽  
Viji Sathy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Career Pathways ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Research Mentorship ◽  
Demographic Similarity ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Identity ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Mentorship has been well-established in the literature as fostering scientific identity and career pathways for underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Mentorship is prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEM fields, but in-depth understanding of mentorship in these contexts remains limited. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we sought to understand the relationship between mentoring and scientific identity among a diverse sample of 24 students in one such program, in order to inform program development. Results Qualitative analysis of the data revealed that mentorship, especially research mentorship, was common and played a role in formation of scientific identity. Students with research mentors tended to say they strongly identified as scientists, whereas those who lacked research mentorship varied in their level of scientific identity. In interviews, research-mentored students described mentors as colleagues who gave them opportunities to grow and as examples to look up to. Students valued mentors with whom they identified on the basis of demographic similarity or shared values, as well as those who challenged them in their academic and research endeavors. Conclusions Our analysis highlights how different mentoring experiences can contribute to development of future STEM leadership. We discuss implications for practice, including the need for tailored mentoring approaches and research-focused mentoring, and offer several recommendations for research and programming.

scholarly journals The Role of Altruistic Values in Motivating Underrepresented Minority Students for Biomedicine

BioScience ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin B. Thoman ◽  
Elizabeth R. Brown ◽  
Andrew Z. Mason ◽  
Allen G. Harmsen ◽  
Jessi L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students

scholarly journals Capacity-Building for Career Paths in Public Health and Biomedical Research for Undergraduate Minority Students: A Jackson Heart Study Success Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Brown White ◽  
Asoka Srinivasan ◽  
Cheryl Nelson ◽  
Nimr Fahmy ◽  
Frances Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Black College ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Professional Programs

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This article chronicles the building of individual student capacity as well as faculty and institutional capacity, within the context of a population-based, longitudinal study of African Americans and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this article is to present preliminary data documenting the results of this approach. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The JHS Scholars program is designed, under the organizational structure of the Natural Sciences Division at Tougaloo College, to provide solid preparation in quantitative skills through: good preparation in mathematics and the sciences; a high level of reading comprehension; hands-on learning experiences; and mentoring and counseling to sustain the motivation of the students to pursue further studies. </p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>This program is on the campus of a private Historically Black College in Mississippi. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>The participants in the program are undergraduate students. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Main Outcome Measures: </strong>Data, which included information on major area of study, institution attended, degrees earned and position in the workforce, were analyzed using STATA 14. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 167 scholars, 46 are currently enrolled, while 118 have graduated. One half have completed graduate or professional programs, including; medicine, public health, pharmacy, nursing, and biomedical science; approximately one-fourth (25.4 %) are enrolled in graduate or professional programs; and nearly one tenth (9.3%) completed graduate degrees in law, education, business or English. </p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These data could assist other institutions in understanding the career development process that helps underrepresented minority students in higher education to make career choices on a path toward public health, health professions, biomedical research, and related careers. <em>Ethn Dis. </em>2016;26(3):399-406; doi:10.18865/ed.26.3.399 </p>

The Untold Stories of Black and Brown Student Experiences in Historically White Fraternities and Sororities

2019 ◽  
pp. 153-171
Author(s):  
Phillip Cockrell ◽  
Thomas Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Historically White ◽  
Greek Letter ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Sense Of Mattering ◽  
Greek Letter Organizations

This chapter will highlight the experiences of underrepresented minority students who are members of majority Greek-letter organizations at two institutions of higher learning located in the Midwest. The authors will explore the reasons why students joined majority Greek-letter organizations as opposed to those associated with their ethnicity/race. In addition, peer-to-peer perceptions, sense of mattering and belonging, and interest in upward mobility within their respective organizations will be examined.

Minority Recruitment and Retention Among Gifted Students

2017 ◽  
pp. 26-41
Author(s):  
Chandra A. Stallworth ◽  
Ken D. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Underrepresented Minorities ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
National Goal ◽  
Honors College ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
School Year

Consistent with the national goal implemented by our current government, Auburn University is also working to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities in higher education. The rationale for this is simple, that is to allow a greater advantage when competing against others. One of the ways to foster this competition is by nurturing our gifted underrepresented minority students. In the 2010-2011 school year, the Honors College, which serves as a gateway for underrepresented minority students, developed a distinct focus on helping our students reach and their educational/academic goals. Within this paper we will go over some of the steps we have begun to take to reach our goal, in addition to future plans we have to continue these efforts.

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