PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Mcgee, Ebony O, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The planned study investigates the lives and experiences of Black and Latino physical science and mathematics advanced undergraduate students. Specifically, the Fellow will examine the experiences and academic and career decisions of 60 STEM Black and Latino advanced college students, who are expected to realize their ambitions in those fields. She will also interview a small sample of Caucasian students to determine if what she discovers for Black and Latino students is unique for those populations. Comparisons will be made of both the responses and the pattern of change over time of underrepresented (URM) and Caucasian students. The Fellow hypothesizes that the slow rate of improvement in the diversity in physical science and mathematics post baccalaureate education is a complex blend of active decisions on the part of students not to pursue graduate education, insufficient preparation and knowledge of graduate education, gender, and racial stereotypes. The Fellow will also look to see if this assumption holds for women and men from two different racial groups. The alternative hypothesis is that many students desire and actively seek a graduate education in the physical sciences or mathematics but are unsuccessful for various reasons. The planned research would reveal the thinking that goes into students' academic and career decisions and how those decisions have been shaped by prior, sometimes racialized, experiences. Two different interpretative frames will be used to study the post baccalaureate education or career decision processes of these students. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) aims to explain the process through which a) academic and career interests develop, b) educational and career choices are made and c) academic and career success is attained. SCCT could help explain students' self-efficacy beliefs, educational or professional outcome expectations, attitudes and self concepts which in turn affect motivation, choices and behaviors. The second major lens for this research is the phenomenon of stereotype threat and another phenomenon that resulted from the Fellow's dissertation research entitled "Stereotype Management". Intellectual Merit. The research will bring in the diverse perspectives of social science, human development, and science and mathematics education. The Fellow will focus on the social, psychological, and individual factors that lead to optimal or impaired success of URMs in science and mathematics. The research will build upon and significantly extend the ongoing studies of other scholars on the career decision-making processes of young biomedical scientists. The Fellow will be using portions of her mentors' well-developed and pilot-tested interview protocol, which she has expanded to go deeper into racial and gender stereotypes. Broader Impacts. The planned research has the potential to make novel theoretical contributions to the existing literature on racial and gender stereotypes and STEM college students, as well as provide practical guidance about how STEM education might be structured to reduce the impact of stereotypes and facilitate greater STEM achievement and enjoyment for URM students. Blending Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and racial stereotypes frameworks creates a new theoretical frame that has the potential to radically change our understanding of how and why URM students choose to stay or leave the STEM pipeline, which in turn can lead to new solutions or remedies targeted at keeping these students in STEM and realize their full potential. Over the past six years, the PI's research and teaching opportunities have afforded her the opportunity to contribute to an emerging literature in STEM education (particularly mathematics and engineering education). The combined guidance of her postdoctoral mentors, along with access to the outstanding facilities and resources at Northwestern University, should provide a rich research experience.