Excellence in Research: Navigating the Double Bind: Assessing the Development and Contribution of Identity Shifting to the Recruitment & Retention of Black Women in STEM Education

Spelman College, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Researchers at Spelman College and Winston Salem State University propose to explore identity shifting among Black women from a psychological perspective. Prior research has shown that identity shifting is a coping strategy that Black women use to mitigate the negative experiences of discrimination, and most of these studies have used a quantitative approach or a communication perspective. Thus, the study will expand the psychological literature on identity shifting to focus on Black women in STEM education. The proposed project involves two sets of studies, and the researchers will use a survey method approach to examine identity shifting. Two studies in Set 1 will test the validity and reliability of a new tool for measuring identity shifting among Black women undergraduate and graduate STEM students. Set II will conduct a daily diary study based on the results of Set I to explore the experiences of discrimination and identity shifting. The research is expected to inform interventions to increase and broaden participation of Black women in STEM education and the workforce. The specific study objectives are to (1) validate a measurement of identity shifting for Black women undergraduate and graduate STEM students and (2) explore the daily experiences in graduate school of discrimination and identity shifting among Black women STEM students. The primary theoretical frameworks utilized in the research include Black feminist thought and phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVES). This framework posits that a Black woman?s identity is shaped by her experiences and that she simultaneously aspires to make sense of her identities. Intersectionality serves as a basis for the present study. A survey design will be used to answer the following research questions: (1) How relevant, reliable, and valid is the new Identity Shifting Scale for Black women? (2) Can the Identity Shifting for Black Women Scale provide adequate sub-scales resulting from factor analysis testing? (3) When compared with the identity management, stigma consciousness, gendered racism, acculturation, and stereotype expectations and concerns, does the Identity Shifting Scale for Black Women have convergent validity (how well the scale relates to other related measures)? How does discrimination, interpersonal contact anxiety, positive interactions, and support influence identity shifting processes among Black women STEM graduate students? Through the survey design approach, Black women students' experiences of identity shifting will be captured. The results can be used to inform programmatic decisions in graduate programs and facilitate interventions that promote healthy identity development among Black women in STEM. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.