Using a mixed-method approach, this study investigates how individuals believe race impacts their interracial relationship. Two-hundred and three individuals representing diverse racial-gender compositions of relationships responded to a series of measures to assess their Racial Worldview—a collective of notions about racial/ethnic identity, intergroup relations, and recognition of racist hegemony—before indicating the ways in which race or racial issues affect their romantic partnership. Results revealed four distinct types of Racial Worldview through K-means cluster and four broad themes of influences on relationship communication and functioning. Cross-tabs analyses indicated that Racial Worldview and participants perceptions of the impact of race were related with statistically significant differences between those who acknowledge racism and valued group differences reaching different conclusions than those who do not. The results add to existing research by drawing attention to the heterogeneity of thought and understanding within interracial relationships. The promise of using Racial Worldview in future research is discussed.
The present study investigated the lived immigration experiences of 10 students enrolled in or graduated from a university (i.e., bachelor's degree) in the United States using a phenomenological approach. Participants represented 9 different countries, cultures of origin or backgrounds, and self-identified as either immigrant or firstgeneration American. The present research contributes to current literature by exploring the experiences of immigrants across ethnicities and cultures of origin. After survey completion and focus group meetings with participants, the following two themes emerged as findings of the present study: (a) immigrant culture, and (b) collectivist culture. The immigrant culture theme indicates that immigrants from different countries and cultures of origin experienced commonalities in their journeys of immigration. Findings also suggest that the immigrant experience and background impacted decision-making processes in college for immigrant and first-generation American students. Implications such as approaching immigration as a culture to improve conceptualization processes of immigrant experiences and educational and counseling services for immigrant students are discussed. Additionally, the application of the ecological systems theory model with immigrant students is discussed for support and as a suggestion for future research to serve as a potential intervention tool. What is the significance of this article for the general public?The present study suggests that conceptualization of immigration as a culture with diverse immigrant ethnicities may provide greater understanding of the immigrant experience to better help this population. Recommendations for higher education faculty, staff, and counselors are provided for work with immigrant students, such as with the ecological systems theory model.
Students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) degrees at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) may face difficult challenges in their journey to successfully complete their degrees. To address these challenges, it is important to identify problematic areas as well as needed areas of improvement in STEM programs, particularly engineering programs from student, faculty, and administrator perspectives. The purpose of the present research study is to identify barriers that may hinder students from the successful completion of a degree in STEM, such as Engineering by identifying common themes experienced in STEM programs at HBCUs.A 24-item survey was developed from current literature and administered to current students, faculty, and administrators at HBCUs nationwide to gain insight into undergraduate student experiences in STEM (Terenzi & Reason, 2005;Seymour 2000). The survey items were carefully developed and categorized using 3 strategic and fundamental research thrusts, such as cultural intersectionality; institutional climate; and Engineering career trajectory to support efforts in broadening participation and student persistence. Thus, the survey elicited responses from students, faculty, and administrators based on these 3 areas. Participants were asked to rate items centered on their experiences and perspectives in their current STEM degree programs using a Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree, 6 = Not Sure). The participants were from 4 HBCUs nationwide. Majority of participants identified as Black or African American, 78% from Group 1 (henceforth referred to as Student Participants) and 51% from Group 2 (referred to as Faculty and Administrator Participants). Majority of participants also self-identified as male, 56% from Group 1 and 72% from Group 2. Additionally, most participants from Group 1 self-identified from various Engineering fields, such as the following: chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, and electrical engineering among others.Primary barriers as indicated by the Student participants include the following: "Students lose confidence due to low grades in early STEM courses; Students have inadequate high school preparation in study skills; and Students are overwhelmed by the fast-paced STEM courses." The top barriers indicated by the Faculty and Administrator Participants include the following: "Students have inadequate high school preparation in study skills; Students have inadequate high school preparation in STEM subjects; and Students lose confidence due to low grades in early STEM courses." Comparing the findings of the two groups, it is remarkable that the top barriers for both groups share the same theme for 2 out of the 3 barriers. Further analyses indicated that gender differences for the Student Participants occurred on the following survey items: "Students have inadequate access to lab or lab facilities" and "Students think STEM career options are not worth eff...
A recent study shows that 30% of undergraduate students are successful in completing degrees in STEM fields, of those only 29% are from historically underrepresented groups.1 During the past decade, the number of undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM fields from underrepresented groups has increased only by 3%.2 In order to address the significant need for the completion of degrees in STEM fields by underrepresented groups, efforts to develop effective mentoring practices have been undertaken. Mentoring has proven to be an effective mechanism for ensuring student success in STEM fields. Select mentoring programs for women, minorities, and underrepresented groups have shown significant gains in increasing the presence of students from various backgrounds in the STEM fields. Mentoring provides participants from underrepresented groups with exposure to role models, support networks, and other mechanisms that help them succeed in STEM fields.7 Attracting more students from underrepresented populations into the STEM workforce will maximize innovation, creativity, and competitiveness.The present research study reviewed, characterized, and analyzed the various practices, procedures, and policies of successful mentoring programs. Survey instruments composed of 22 questions were used to learn about the mentoring experiences of graduate students in STEM fields during their undergraduate matriculation, particularly if they benefited or failed to benefit from their mentor. The selection process used to pick mentors and mentees was also investigated with the research questionnaire to further understand student preferences and specific needs of those majoring in STEM fields.The sixty-four (N=64) participants represents a diverse sample of graduate students who pursue undergraduate STEM degrees. Students reported their mentors helped with the following: 1) providing funding, setting goals, providing positive and constructive feedback on their work, and being supportive of ideas which allowed the mentee to follow his/her own ideas for their work. Alternatively, some participants reported unmet expectations by their mentor(s), such as wishing the mentor had: 1) provided more exposure to industry-based tasks, 2) assisted in decision making regarding career decision, 3) presented the mentee with more challenges by encouraging the student to go above and beyond, 4) provided more research opportunities. Such findings indicate that mentors can play a pivotal role in the development of students. These results also demonstrate that mentoring relationships need to be improved for students to receive equal and adequate support. Eighty-four percent of participants reported having more than two mentors. Therefore, having multiple mentors may be more beneficial for students to expand their exposure to multiple mentoring practices while reducing their needs not being met by one mentor. Additionally, 17% of participants reported having five or more mentors. Findings of the present study will be used to create mentoring pract...
This work-in-progress discusses the efforts of researchers focused on broadening participation in STEM fields. The survey data discussed was collected from students, faculty, and administrators from a single HBCU (Historically Black College and University) and focuses on the experiences of students in STEM. The purpose of the survey was to identify critical areas of concern that warranted further investigation. Preliminary data suggest that future research studies should focus on students' confidence, study skills, and academic preparation as well as faculty development. Also, future research studies will investigate data from additional HBCUs and identify common areas of focus that should be addressed nationally.
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