Full Paper:Student Perceptions of Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University

Jessica Martin; Jana Roste; Austin T. Smith; Shane Michael Meyer; Emma G Cartisano; Emily Sandvall; Andrea Pouso Morales

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Conference: 2022 First-Year Engineering Experience
Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Publication Date: July 31, 2022
Start Date: July 31, 2022
End Date: August 2, 2022
Conference Session: Technical Session T1A
Tagged Topics: Diversity and Full Papers
Page Count: 7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42230
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42230
Download Count: 185

Paper Authors

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Jessica Martin Baylor University

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Jessica has worked in a variety of capacities within higher education and student affairs over the past 7 years. She earned her M.A in Higher Education and Student Development at Taylor University in 2018 and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Studies and Leadership at Baylor University, where she assists with a variety of research initiatives.

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Jana Roste Baylor University

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After receiving her M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Taylor University, Jana Roste is a doctoral student in Baylor University's Higher Education Studies and Leadership program.

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Austin T. Smith Baylor University

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Austin Smith is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Studies and Leadership program at Baylor University in Waco, TX. He holds both an M.A. and a B.S. from Taylor University in Upland, IN.

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Shane Michael Meyer Baylor University

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Shane M. Meyer is a PhD student at Baylor University studying Higher Education & Leadership. He is passionate about technology education, student persistence, and understanding institutional commitment.

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Emma G Cartisano Baylor University

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Emma Cartisano is a PhD student at Baylor University studying Higher Education & Leadership. She is passionate about learning theories, student success, and talent development.

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Emily Sandvall Baylor University

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Emily Sandvall Senior Director for Undergraduate
Programs, School of Engineering and Computer Science,
Baylor University, Emily_Sandvall@baylor.edu

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Andrea Pouso Morales Baylor University

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Abstract

Full Paper: Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program

In the United States, attrition in STEM fields has been a point of growing concern. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a variety of programs aimed at bolstering access and success for STEM students (National Academy of Sciences, 2011; Olson & Riordan, 2012). Though few access programs evaluate involvement, student success literature evidences a clear relationship between involvement and success (Astin, 1999; Mayhew et al., 2016). Accordingly, our phenomenological study explored how high-achieving, low-income STEM students in an NSF funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University perceive and experience involvement and success in light of their multiple identities. Baylor University’s ECS Scholars Program currently supports two cohorts of 11 students pursuing degrees in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. As a part of the program, Scholars are engaged in student and faculty mentoring which allows them to meaningfully connect with a support network. In addition, students attend monthly seminars designed to help support their success in and outside of the classroom. These students’ experiences were explored via 60 to 90-minute in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and themed by the research team. Alternate data collection methods—including campus mapping, photo elicitation, and identity wheel construction exercises—complemented interview data and added additional depth and insight to student statements. Our collective analysis revealed that, in essence, involvement is an arena in which high-achieving, low-income STEM students prioritize and live out salient identities in alignment with their understandings of success. Such findings inform recommendations concerning how faculty and staff may broaden and reframe understandings of involvement to more effectively support the success of STEM students in similar access programs.

Citation
Format

Martin, J., & Roste, J., & Smith, A. T., & Meyer, S. M., & Cartisano, E. G., & Sandvall, E., & Pouso Morales, A. (2022, July), Full Paper:Student Perceptions of Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University Paper presented at 2022 First-Year Engineering Experience, East Lansing, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--42230

TY - CPAPER
AB - Full Paper: Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program

In the United States, attrition in STEM fields has been a point of growing concern. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a variety of programs aimed at bolstering access and success for STEM students (National Academy of Sciences, 2011; Olson &amp;amp; Riordan, 2012). Though few access programs evaluate involvement, student success literature evidences a clear relationship between involvement and success (Astin, 1999; Mayhew et al., 2016). Accordingly, our phenomenological study explored how high-achieving, low-income STEM students in an NSF funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University perceive and experience involvement and success in light of their multiple identities. Baylor University’s ECS Scholars Program currently supports two cohorts of 11 students pursuing degrees in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. As a part of the program, Scholars are engaged in student and faculty mentoring which allows them to meaningfully connect with a support network. In addition, students attend monthly seminars designed to help support their success in and outside of the classroom. These students’ experiences were explored via 60 to 90-minute in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and themed by the research team. Alternate data collection methods—including campus mapping, photo elicitation, and identity wheel construction exercises—complemented interview data and added additional depth and insight to student statements. Our collective analysis revealed that, in essence, involvement is an arena in which high-achieving, low-income STEM students prioritize and live out salient identities in alignment with their understandings of success. Such findings inform recommendations concerning how faculty and staff may broaden and reframe understandings of involvement to more effectively support the success of STEM students in similar access programs.
AU - Jessica Martin
AU - Jana Roste
AU - Austin T. Smith
AU - Shane Michael Meyer
AU - Emma G Cartisano
AU - Emily Sandvall
AU - Andrea Pouso Morales
CY - East Lansing, Michigan
DA - 2022/07/31
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Full Paper:Student Perceptions of Involvement, Identity, and Success in an NSF-funded STEM Access Program at Baylor University
UR - https://peer.asee.org/42230
DO - 10.18260/1-2--42230
ER -