Social scientists know that minority students are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, they also know that the reasons for this are complex, seem to vary by cultural group, and are shaped by global as well as local processes. The goal of this research project is to see if increased multicultural contact, such as that brought about by economic and cultural globalization, affects student STEM achievement and success. Drawing on an interdisciplinary suite of theories and methods, Dr. Rosalyn Negron and Dr. Adan Colon-Carmona, both of the University of Massachusetts Boston, will undertake research to refine the conceptualization and measurement of multiculturalism, and examine specific interactions between multiculturalism and STEM skills as correlates of STEM success. The researchers hypothesize that multiculturalism will be associated with key STEM skills, and that under-represented minority students who persist in STEM studies beyond the first academic year will be more likely to be multicultural than students who drop out of STEM studies.
The research will be conducted in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a minority serving institution. The researchers and a team of graduate and undergraduate assistants will recruit STEM students who self-identity as belonging to one of the university's underrepresented minority categories (American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latin, Cape Verdean, Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, and Southeast Asian). They will administer standard scales and conduct life history and social network interviews with a small sample (N = 18). Results from that first phase will be used to develop a Multiculturalism Scale and survey that will be completed by 100 students. This will be followed by testing for STEM competences and cross-cultural communication skills. Finally, they will employ a case-control methodology by comparing students who persist in STEM programs with those who do not.
