CAREER: Educational trajectories of low-income urban youth in science and technology

Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA

Investigators

Abstract

Guided by an overarching ecological model, this research will employ a longitudinal design to study students' transitions from high school to post-secondary education or work. The students selected are from two small cities with high ethnic minority populations. Three interconnected topics will be examined: (1) the social negotiations of educational and career aspirations including how the students' science and technology aspirations develop over time and across social contexts; (2) the nature of effective mentoring strategies, including ways students and teachers can optimize students' access to mentors; and (3) patterns of science and technology learning and motivation across contexts. Quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to analyze surveys, interviews, and observations. The education plan features having undergraduate students, including pre-service teachers, enrolled in the PI's community-based educational psychology courses, collaborate with youth in the two urban neighborhoods on teaching and learning activities while jointly conducting field-based educational research. Undergraduates will also conduct research with the PI, during the year and in the summer, and contribute to dissemination efforts.