Collaborative Research: Improving the recruitment and persistence of women in the Geosciences: Exploring deliberate mentoring approaches aimed at undergraduate students

合作研究：改善地球科学领域女性的招募和坚持：探索针对本科生的刻意指导方法

• 批准号: 1431795
• 负责人: Emily Fischer
• 金额: $ 141.17万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-10-01 至 2020-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1431795&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Improving; recruitment; persistence

Women continue to be largely under-represented in the geosciences. Female role models and mentors can play an important role in the lives of female students, especially when choosing and committing to a career path. This project is providing a pathway for STEM undergraduate women into the geosciences through a combination of formal and informal, professional and peer mentoring. The research is also providing insight into why mentoring is beneficial to STEM women. This project recruits first-year college women interested in the geosciences (from any STEM major) from institutions in two geographic regions: the Front Range of Colorado and the Carolinas. During their first year, these women are invited to a regional mentoring workshop to i) learn more about geoscience careers, ii) meet peers with similar academic interests, iii) gain better self-awareness of their values, strengths, and abilities for a career in the geosciences, and iv) expand their psychological, social and institutional resources for a career in the geosciences. After the workshop, the program participants have access to peer mentoring and resources through a web platform. Through this platform, they are able to interact with each other via discussion forums. In addition, they have access to in-person mentoring with female role models via scheduled get-togethers at each institution. The research is focused on quantifying i) the impact of the workshops and mentoring on participants' intentions and behaviors related to geoscience career choices, ii) the impact of the workshops and mentoring on the skills and resources participants use to overcome career-related barriers, and iii) the key features of the workshops and mentoring strategies that predict positive changes in participants' perceptions of and beliefs about the geosciences.Experimental research on the effectiveness of mentoring has been largely absent from the mentoring literature. This project will fill the gap in the literature by conducting a randomized experiment wherein undergraduate women at Colorado State University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will be matched based on their initial interest in geosciences, academic record, and demographic characteristics. Matched pairs will be randomly assigned to intervention (workshop and mentoring) or control conditions. Thereafter, women in both groups will participate in a biannual web-based survey with questions concerning their identification with math, their sense of potential fulfillment in careers in the sciences in general and geosciences specifically, their gender stereotypes of the geosciences, and their experiences with mentors. In addition, interviews will be conducted with the women in the intervention group to examine supports and challenges, and the role of the intervention in their interest and/or persistence in geoscience educations and careers. Dissemination of results will be accomplished through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at professional meetings.

女性在地球科学领域的代表性仍然不足。女性榜样和导师可以在女学生的生活中发挥重要作用，特别是在选择和致力于职业道路时。该项目通过正式和非正式、专业和同伴指导的结合，为 STEM 本科女性进入地球科学领域提供了一条途径。 该研究还深入了解了为什么辅导对 STEM 女性有益。 该项目从科罗拉多州弗兰特山脉和卡罗来纳州这两个地理区域的机构中招募对地球科学感兴趣的一年级女大学生（任何 STEM 专业）。在第一年，这些女性被邀请参加区域指导研讨会，以 i) 了解更多关于地球科学职业的信息，ii) 结识具有相似学术兴趣的同行，iii) 更好地了解自己的价值观、优势和职业能力iv) 为地球科学事业拓展心理、社会和机构资源。研讨会结束后，计划参与者可以通过网络平台获得同行指导和资源。通过这个平台，他们可以通过论坛相互互动。此外，他们还可以通过在每个机构安排的聚会，获得女性榜样的面对面指导。 该研究的重点是量化 i) 研讨会和指导对参与者与地球科学职业选择相关的意图和行为的影响，ii) 研讨会和指导对参与者用来克服职业相关障碍的技能和资源的影响， iii) 研讨会的关键特征和指导策略，预测参与者对地球科学的看法和信念会发生积极的变化。指导文献中基本上没有关于指导有效性的实验研究。 该项目将通过进行一项随机实验来填补文献空白，其中科罗拉多州立大学和北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校的本科女性将根据她们对地球科学、学术记录和人口特征的最初兴趣进行匹配。 匹配的配对将被随机分配到干预（研讨会和指导）或控制条件。 此后，两组中的女性将参加一年两次的网络调查，调查问题涉及她们对数学的认同、她们在一般科学和具体的地球科学职业中的潜在成就感、她们对地球科学的性别刻板印象以及她们在地球科学领域的经历。导师。 此外，还将对干预组中的女性进行访谈，以检查支持和挑战，以及干预措施对她们对地球科学教育和职业的兴趣和/或坚持的作用。 结果的传播将通过在同行评审的期刊上发表和在专业会议上的演讲来完成。