Location

College Student Research 2 (Session 4 Breakouts)

Proposal Track

Research Project

Session Format

Presentation

Abstract

Riegle-Crumb, King, and Irizarry (2019) indicate that African-American, LatinX, and White college first-year students declare an interest in STEM fields at roughly equivalent rates but African American and Latinx students are less likely to persist in attaining STEM degrees. Oyserman et al. (2011) further contextualize this discrepancy by noting that students might need help in implementing pathways from aspirations to academic outcomes. A multi-year intervention aimed at supporting undergraduate African American and Latinx students in STEM seeks to usher students along pathways towards STEM degrees by encouraging development of a community of practice and engagement in practical, concrete experiences that support proximal subgoals towards a STEM degree. It is thus of interest the degree to which students internalize this demystification towards a STEM career. Using possible selves data, this presentation will report preliminary findings addressing this question - a comparison of pre/post data indicates that students are heavily preoccupied with doing well academically; however, much less focus is devoted to other aspects of the path that has been articulated. Likewise, adult possible selves do not indicate engagement in a STEM career. Practical implications of these findings point to next steps in helping these students see themselves as STEM professionals.

Keywords

Possible Selves, STEM, Preliminary findings of longitudinal study

Professional Bio

Dr. Andrea Dawn Frazier has a PhD in educational psychology, and she currently teaches educational psychology and educational research courses at Columbus State University. Her research interests encompass the educative experience of students of color and girls, with recent work exploring possible selves as a pathway to STEM degree attainment for undergraduate students of color. She is co-editor of “Special Populations in Gifted Education: Understanding Our Most Able Students from Diverse Backgrounds” with Dr. Jaime Castellano

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Oct 2nd, 1:45 PM Oct 2nd, 2:45 PM

Pathways to STEM Careers – Preliminary findings of a Possible Selves Intervention

College Student Research 2 (Session 4 Breakouts)

Riegle-Crumb, King, and Irizarry (2019) indicate that African-American, LatinX, and White college first-year students declare an interest in STEM fields at roughly equivalent rates but African American and Latinx students are less likely to persist in attaining STEM degrees. Oyserman et al. (2011) further contextualize this discrepancy by noting that students might need help in implementing pathways from aspirations to academic outcomes. A multi-year intervention aimed at supporting undergraduate African American and Latinx students in STEM seeks to usher students along pathways towards STEM degrees by encouraging development of a community of practice and engagement in practical, concrete experiences that support proximal subgoals towards a STEM degree. It is thus of interest the degree to which students internalize this demystification towards a STEM career. Using possible selves data, this presentation will report preliminary findings addressing this question - a comparison of pre/post data indicates that students are heavily preoccupied with doing well academically; however, much less focus is devoted to other aspects of the path that has been articulated. Likewise, adult possible selves do not indicate engagement in a STEM career. Practical implications of these findings point to next steps in helping these students see themselves as STEM professionals.