Postdoctoral Fellowship: STEMEdIPRF: Scholars in the Margins: Historically Excluded Postdoctoral Experiences in STEM

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

There is an urgent need to provide supportive and welcoming environments for individuals pursuing STEM career pathways to ensure that the United States meets its full potential in providing world-class educational experiences and an educated citizenry. Faculty members from marginalized backgrounds can serve vital roles in increasing the rates of persistence of students in STEM educational programs and STEM careers. In the United States, postdoctoral scholars in STEM fields currently have strikingly low representation of individuals with Black or African American, Hispanic or Latine, Native American, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander identities. For early-career STEM scholars, postdoctoral experiences can be one of the most important and immediate considerations when individuals are deciding whether or not to continue working in academia. Few studies exist that characterize the postdoctoral experiences of scholars with marginalized identities. This project aims to study the effects of professional and personal environments of postdoctoral scholars from minoritized backgrounds on self-efficacy, STEM identity, sense of belonging, research interests, communication outcomes, and career goals. This research is designed to inform the development and implementation of inclusive training spaces. The researcher has developed partnerships with scientific and professional societies that serve postdoctoral scholars. Understanding the unique ways in which science identity relates to intersectional identities is vitally important to broaden participation, and it is a critical gap in the literature on postdoctoral scholars. Early studies have shown that environmental contexts in which postdoctoral scholars feel affirmed and valued can help counter exclusionary STEM cultural norms and build a sense of belonging. There is no extant research to suggest the mechanisms by which the broader scientific community contributes to STEM identity validation in postdoctoral scholars, nor the extent to which this is a factor. This project aims to examine the influence of academic institutions and scientific societies on postdoctoral scholar retention. The research framework integrates the Communication Theory of Identity, STEM Identity Theory, and Social Cognitive Career Theory. This study is designed to conduct interviews with postdoctoral scholars from marginalized backgrounds to examine the relationship between their professional and personal environments and their self-efficacy, STEM identity development, sense of belonging, challenges in their fields, general interests, and science communication outcomes. The study also aims to examine participants’ intended STEM career pathways. Interview findings are intended to inform the design of a related survey. Findings will also be used to co-create a guide with partnering organizations and collaborators to inform postdoctoral training spaces with evidence-based approaches and mentorship that specifically centers marginalized postdoctoral scholars. This project is funded by the STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) program that aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field. This project is partially funded by The Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation through a partnership with the National Science Foundation to promote greater diversity within the STEM/STEM education research workforce. 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.