Retention in Research Careers: Mentoring for Scientific Communication Skills

研究职业的保留：科学沟通技巧的指导

• 批准号: 8366069
• 负责人: Carrie A. Cameron
• 金额: $ 35.55万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-30 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8366069
• 关键词: Academia; Address; Age; Attitude; Behavior; Behavioral; Behavioral Sciences; Belief; Cancer Center; Categories; Cognitive; Communication; Cultural Backgrounds; Data; Data Analyses; Data Collection; Development; Education; Educational Intervention; Educational process of instructing; Environmental Risk Factor; Epidemiology; Equation; Ethnic Origin; Exposure to; Faculty; Fellowship; Fostering; Gender; Gifts; Goals; Health Sciences; Incentives; Individual; Institution; Instruction; Intention; Intervention; Language; Learning; Linguistics; Manuscripts; Measures; Mediating; Mentors; Modeling; Modification; Motivation; National Institute of General Medical Sciences; Oral; Outcome; Participant; Performance; Persons; Play; Postdoctoral Fellow; Process; Race; Readiness; Recruitment Activity; Research; Resources; Risk; Role; Sampling; Science; Scientist; Secure; Self Efficacy; Sex Characteristics; Social Psychology; Source; Students; Surveys; Testing; Texas; Time; Training; Training Programs; Universities; Writing; abstracting; career; cohort; coping; doctoral student; expectation; falls; improved; instrument; interest; knowledge of results; model development; prospective; skill acquisition; skills; social; success; tool; web site

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mastering scientific communication (SC) skills is essential for successful scientists, and can be a challenge for junior scientists from any background, but may be especially difficult for those who are educationally under- prepared or who have had limited exposure to standard academic English. The burden of teaching such skills typically falls to mentors, who may find this task labor-intensive and frustrating. Non-natie English-speaking mentors may have particular difficulty, but even mentors with excellent language skills may not know how to teach effectively, and addressing these needs can further burden mentoring relationships already challenged by gender, age, or cultural gaps. Thus, the gap to address is the identification and modification of both trainee and mentor factors that influence trainee self-efficacy in SC skills development, particularly if such factors play a role n persistence of underrepresented groups in research. Our aims are to identify causal relationships between trainee and mentor factors in an adapted social cognitive model of SC skill development and to identify key moderating factors that change these relationships over time. We hypothesize that trainee efficacy beliefs in SC will predict their outcome expectations and interests in mastering SC skills and that mentor factors (e.g., high skill level in SC coaching availability, high interest), will be positively associated with trainee SC self-efficacy, goals, ad actions. We also hypothesize that the relationship between such mentor factors, trainee actions, and trainee long-term career goals will be fully mediated by trainee SC performance outcomes, and that mentors who are highly skilled and interested in SC mentoring will have trainees whose SC self-efficacy and performance outcomes will increase or remain high. Recruiting a cohort of 400 doctoral and postdoctoral trainees and their 400 faculty mentors from MD Anderson Cancer Center and through training programs elsewhere enriched for trainees of underrepresented groups, we will collect data 3 times over 30 months. Trainee-mentor dyads will be recruited using a snowball approach until desired numbers are achieved in categories by trainee factors (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity). Data will be collected through a secure website with IDs that match trainee-mentor dyads without personal identifiers, although matching is not required to accomplish study aims. Incentives will be provided for incremental completion of surveys, and to encourage mentor participation, additional gift-cards will be given to trainees when mentors complete surveys. Analytic approaches include structural equation, hierarchical, and longitudinal regression modeling. The multi-disciplinary team includes individuals trained in English, linguistics, epidemiology, social psychology, education, and communication. If successful, we will have a validated conceptual model describing trainee SC skill acquisition and its impact on persistence in research careers, and the mediating influence of mentors measured over time. This model will identify risk points for us to develop educational interventions that increase persistence of trainees in pursuing research careers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: As the mastery of scientific communication skills is essential for the career success of scientists, but can be a challenge for junior scientists for those who ar educationally under-prepared or who have had limited exposure to standard academic English, the main burden of teaching communication skills typically falls upon mentors who often find this task labor intensive and frustrating, and useful tools rare. Mentors who are not themselves native English speakers may have particular difficulty mentoring for scientific communication, but even mentors with excellent language skills may not know how to teach their trainees effectively; addressing these needs can further burden mentoring relationships already challenged by gender, age, or cultural gaps. For these reasons, the critical gap we will address is the identification and modification of both mentor and trainee factors that influence trainee self-confidence in scientific communication skills development, particularly if such factors play a role in the persistence or lack of persistence of under-represented groups in science and academia.

描述（由申请人提供）：掌握科学传播（SC）技能对于成功的科学家来说至关重要，对于任何背景的初级科学家来说都可能是一个挑战，但对于那些在教育上准备不足或受过有限教育的人来说可能尤其困难。接触标准学术英语。教授这些技能的负担通常落在导师身上，他们可能会发现这项任务既费力又令人沮丧。非母语英语的导师可能会遇到特别困难，但即使是具有出色语言技能的导师也可能不知道如何有效教学，而解决这些需求可能会进一步加重已经受到性别、年龄或文化差距挑战的导师关系的负担。因此，需要解决的差距是识别和修改影响受训者在 SC 技能发展中的自我效能感的受训者和导师因素，特别是如果这些因素在研究中代表性不足的群体的持久性中发挥作用。我们的目标是确定 SC 技能发展的适应社会认知模型中受训者和导师因素之间的因果关系，并确定随着时间的推移改变这些关系的关键调节因素。我们假设受训者对 SC 的效能信念将预测他们对掌握 SC 技能的结果期望和兴趣，并且导师因素（例如，SC 教练可用性的高技能水平、高度兴趣）将与受训者 SC 自我效能、目标呈正相关, 广告操作。我们还假设，此类导师因素、受训者行动和受训者长期职业目标之间的关系将完全由受训者 SC 绩效结果来调节，并且技术精湛且对 SC 指导感兴趣的导师将拥有其 SC 自我指导的受训者。功效和绩效结果将提高或保持较高水平。我们从 MD 安德森癌症中心招募了 400 名博士和博士后学员及其 400 名导师，并通过其他地方为代表性不足群体的学员提供丰富的培训项目，我们将在 30 个月内收集 3 次数据。将采用滚雪球的方式招募实习生-导师二人组，直到按实习生因素（例如性别、种族/民族）分类达到所需数量。数据将通过一个安全网站收集，其 ID 与没有个人标识符的实习生导师二人组相匹配，尽管实现研究目标不需要匹配。将为增量完成调查提供奖励，并鼓励导师参与，当导师完成调查时，将向学员提供额外的礼品卡。分析方法包括结构方程、层次模型和纵向回归模型。这个多学科团队包括接受过英语、语言学、流行病学、社会心理学、教育和传播学培训的人员。如果成功，我们将拥有一个经过验证的概念模型，描述实习生 SC 技能的获取及其对研究生涯持久性的影响，以及随着时间的推移衡量导师的中介影响。该模型将为我们确定风险点，以制定教育干预措施，以提高学员追求研究职业的毅力。 公共卫生相关性：掌握科学沟通技巧对于科学家的职业成功至关重要，但对于那些教育准备不足或接触标准学术英语有限的初级科学家来说可能是一个挑战，因此主要负担教授沟通技巧的任务通常落在导师身上，他们常常发现这项任务是劳动密集型的、令人沮丧的，而且有用的工具很少。本身不是英语母语的导师可能在指导科学交流方面特别困难，但即使具有出色语言技能的导师也可能不知道如何有效地教导学员；满足这些需求可能会进一步加重已经受到性别、年龄或文化差距挑战的指导关系的负担。由于这些原因，我们要解决的关键差距是确定和修改影响受训者在科学沟通技能发展中的自信心的导师和受训者因素，特别是如果这些因素发挥了作用 科学界和学术界代表性不足的群体的持久性或缺乏持久性的作用。