FACTORS THAT INFLUECE UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL & ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS’ SUCCESS IN GRADUATE STEM PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES & ENGLAND
Open Access
- Author:
- Simeon, Eric Jason
- Graduate Program:
- Higher Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 13, 2016
- Committee Members:
- Roger Lewis Geiger, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Roger Lewis Geiger, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Ladislaus M Semali, Committee Member
Liliana M Garces, Committee Member
Dennis Coleman Jett, Outside Member - Keywords:
- African American students
Hispanic/Latino Students
graduate students
STEM
science disciplines
Black and Minority Ethnic students
Diversity
Includion
access
success
minority success
global education
international education
HEIs
graduate STEM - Abstract:
- In the U.S. and England racial/ethnic minority student success in STEM graduate disciplines is important to HEI administrators and those policy makers concerned with ensuring viable and healthy economies and communities. U.S. Government studies show that the African and Hispanic Americans earn only about 3% and 2% of all STEM graduate degrees, respectively (comparable numbers for England are not available). The lack of success of such large numbers of minority STEM graduate students poses serious consequences for the student, institution, and broader society in the form of lack of innovation and stalled competitive global endeavors. For this dissertation I employed qualitative research methods (and quantitative baseline data) to design and conduct comparative phenomenological case study on the factors that influence minority success in graduate STEM. National clearinghouse data in both countries and insights from interview with students, faculty, and administrators at four comprehensive public research institutions (two per country) were used to develop the themes of social and cultural capital (focusing on socioeconomic status and parental education/family support); educational preparation; and educational experiences/engagement (focusing on institutional/faculty support and mentoring) to make comparisons that could be useful to educators in both countries in the continuing efforts to increase success through widening participation initiatives. A total of eighty administrators, faculty, and minority students were interviewed in the United State and England in order to discover and examine the influences, institutional environments, policies, programs, and practices that are perceived to contribute to the success of minorities in STEM. Findings indicate that a number of comparisons exist between the samples including the importance of parental and family support as a major influence in the development of the student’s social/cultural capital, which directly influences their interest and passion for these disciplines (preparation), and which in-turn influences the perceptions of their educational experiences.