Minorities in STEM

In their article “Testing Intersectionality of Race/Ethnicity × Gender in a Social–Cognitive Career Theory Model With Science Identity” Angela Byars-Winston and Jenna Griebel Rogers outline their experiment about what factors lead to minority categories identifying as a part of the science community, having confidence in their ability to conduct research, and eventually how those things lead to an intention/desire to pursue a career in scientific research. They took their sample from undergraduate students who attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. Of those sampled, the most significant factors were performance accomplishments (being told you are doing a good job) and social persuasion (being encouraged by peers/mentors). However, for black males, vicarious learning (learning outside of direct instruction) was strongly directly related to identifying as a scientist.

This article assumes the goal of increasing diversity in STEM fields, and attempts to collect data on how to most effectively achieve that goal. The part I enjoy most about this article is that it does not approach “minorities” as a monolith; rather it considers individual intersectional identities and what factors are most important to specific groups in pursuing a STEM career.

The findings of this article are pretty consistent with what we have learned in Psychology of Gender. Black males make up the lowest percentage of any race/ethnicity x gender group in STEM related fields. As such, they are often viewed as “tokens” or representative for black men as a whole. This can lead to black men feeling like science outsiders. Therefore it makes sense that having social interactions with mentors and relatability to mentors as career role models have a robust impact on Black/African American men’s science identity. An important point that we discussed in class was that when minorities have exposure to role models with the chances to practice their skills, they feel empowered.

I do wish that this article had a white sample as well so that it was possible to compare the differences is science identity and career intentions between white men and women and men and women of color. I understand that this is slightly outside of the parameters of the study, but as a reader it would be useful and interesting information. However there are some important takeaways from this article.

According to this study, the most effective way to promote a science identity and research career among minority groups is to simply encourage them. Commend them when they do a good job and show them the benefits of a STEM related career. For black men it is also important to have a mentor. They respond well to having a role model who gives them something to aspire to and who gives them a chance to practice their skills. As more studies like this one continue to be conducted, I hope we can achieve a more diverse STEM workforce.