Howard University requests support for an HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research in STEM education project entitled Minority Status and Stereotypes: The Benefits and Consequences as they relate to STEM Participation and Success at an HBCU. The proposed project will employ a mixed-methods research design to examine within-group ethnic differences between domestic and international black STEM undergraduates relative to academic achievement. It will investigate factors that impact the academic experiences of these students. Specifically, the study will apply cultural ecology theory and identity theory to understand within-group distinctions; explore minority status, stereotypes, and stereotyped expectations, and academic and ethnic identity among black STEM students; and examine students familiarity with experiences characterized by the model minority stereotype in conjunction with their participation and success in STEM.
The proposed research can potentially advance the knowledge about how to better prepare faculty to teach in multi-cultural environments. The results can be used also to mitigate stereotyping of both domestic and international black students and has implications for multiple disciplines.
