Overview
According to data from the National Science Foundation (NSF, 2019), individuals from Black, Latinx, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander backgrounds are underrepresented in science education and the science workforce. Unfortunately, students from these underrepresented backgrounds report experiencing unsupportive and discriminatory campus climates that underscore the incongruence between their cultural identities and science learning environments on campus. Students who do not identify with their perceptions of the “science image” often lose interest in and disengage from science, switching to majors and career paths that they perceive as more congruent with their cultural identities.
Objective
The objective of this mixed-methods study is to examine how social and cultural barriers (e.g., subtle social messages of exclusion, perceptions of incongruence with cultural values, racial microaggressions) within research labs influence underrepresented students’ science identities and interest, as well as their persistence in science-related education and careers. We will collect surveys and conduct focus groups with underrepresented students who are engaged in research labs to learn about their experiences within the research lab context.