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Description
Over the past three decades, initiatives to address the underrepresentation of Africana and other students of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and education have been an enduring challenge. Numerous task forces, commissions, and studies have engaged in collaborative efforts to address degree completion shortfalls that constrain the expansion and diversification needs of STEM education and industries. Furthermore, increasing demographic shifts among diverse populations and impending retirements of an aging STEM professoriate heighten the need to broaden STEM talent pools within the United States to retain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. Conventional research on the underachievement of underrepresented students in STEM education has focused primarily upon the underdeveloped attributes of individual learners, early exposure to K-12 STEM education, and replication of high performance programs. Among underrepresented students, however, psychological, social, and institutional barriers are equally important in assessing the academic experiences that influence continued attrition among underrepresented students. An emerging body of literature suggests the need to investigate the holistic nature of systemic barriers that impede the entire learning process. Studies conducted by the Congressional Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering concluded that multiple pathways are needed to increase diversity, full participation, and achievement of post-secondary graduates in STEM disciplines and careers. This research study focuses on examining the meanings individuals assign to their STEM educational experiences from their perspectives of identity development, self-efficacy, and learning processes explored in Black Studies undergraduate learning spaces.
