Graduate bridge programs as nepantla for minoritized students in STEM: Navigating challenges with non-bridge peers and faculty.

Abstract

While research has documented the tremendous success of graduate-level Bridge programs for boosting the numbers of minoritized students earning doctorates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, less is understood about the challenges participants face along their graduate journey while participating in Bridge programs. Anzalduán concepts including nepantla frame minoritized STEM Bridge students’ experiences. This study included interviews with 29 student participants (the majority of whom were African American or Latina/o/x1) and 19 faculty mentors or staff program coordinators drawn from five Bridge-to-the-Doctorate STEM programs. Participants described two key challenges: (a) othering by non-bridge peers and (b) intense scrutiny by faculty and staff. Findings show that the presence of Bridge programs alone does not disrupt traditional norms and practices in STEM fields. Implications are discussed for intentionally constructing graduate Bridge programs and supporting departments as they strive to improve inclusion and equity within graduate STEM education.

How do Black engineering and computing doctoral students analyze and appraise their (depleted) STEM diversity programming?

“…Black STEM graduate students often experience many discouraging effects of racism, which can make them feel as though they are constantly being scrutinized; they also report feeling that they must work extra hard to prove themselves in STEM spaces (McGee et al, 2019;McGee, 2020;Gámez et al, 2022;Karalis Noel et al, 2022a,b). This racialized, marginalized milieu does not change for Black STEM doctoral students when they enter a PhD program (McGee et al, 2019(McGee et al, , 2021.…”

Taking stock of campus mentoring ecosystems: a peer assessment dialogue exercise

“…Mentoring programmes promote the success of racially minoritised students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at the undergraduate and graduate levels, often by serving as a protective, communal buffer within predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education (Maton et al, 2009;Rudolph, 2019;Wilson et al, 2012). Research documents the complex experiences of students of colour finding connections in mentoring programmes whilst also facing a generally unwelcoming environment within PWIs (Tuladhar et al, 2021), such as being negatively stereotyped by faculty or excluded by peers outside of the mentoring programme (G amez et al, 2022;McGee, 2016). Indeed, the support received in a mentoring programme may serve as an exception rather than the behavioural norm for people of colour within STEM fields (O'Meara et al, 2019).…”

“…Research documents the complex experiences of students of colour finding connections in mentoring programmes whilst also facing a generally unwelcoming environment within PWIs (Tuladhar et al. , 2021), such as being negatively stereotyped by faculty or excluded by peers outside of the mentoring programme (Gámez et al. , 2022; McGee, 2016).…”

Legitimized Tongues: Breaking the Traditions of Silence in Mainstream Engineering Education and Research

“…The conocimiento framework positions Latinxs as those who not only live between worlds but as individuals who have the capacity to help others who are caught between worlds and help them create their own bridges for wholeness and agency. There have been some studies in engineering and STEM education that draw from some aspects of borderlands theory (Aguilar-Valdez et al, 2013;Gámez et al, 2021;Gutiérrez 2012Gutiérrez , 2013Gutiérrez , 2015Mejia et al, 2017), as well as several studies in higher education (Acevedo-Gil, 2017;Conchas and Acevedo, 2020;Garcia and Mireles-Rios, 2020;Gaxiola Serrano et al, 2019). The intent of this paper is to take a deep dive on the stages of conocimiento as it relates specifically to engineering education research.…”