Hierarchical Mentoring: A Transformative Strategy for Improving Diversity and Retention in Undergraduate STEM Disciplines

Hierarchical Mentoring: A Transformative Strategy for Improving Diversity and Retention in Undergraduate STEM Disciplines

In the United States, less than half of the students who enter into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate curricula as freshmen will actually graduate with a STEM degree. There is even greater disparity in the national STEM graduation rates of students from underrepr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of science education and technology Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 148 - 156
Main Authors: Wilson, Zakiya S., Holmes, Lakenya, deGravelles, Karin, Sylvain, Monica R., Batiste, Lisa, Johnson, Misty, McGuire, Saundra Y., Pang, Su Seng, Warner, Isiah M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Springer Science+Business Media 01-02-2012
Springer Netherlands
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Academic learning
College dropouts
College Students
Curricula
Education
Educational Technology
Graduation
Graduation Rate
Leadership
Learning strategies
Majors (Students)
Mentoring
Mentors
Metacognition
Minority group students
Minority Groups
Program Effectiveness
Retention
Retention (Psychology)
School Holding Power
Science Education
STEM Education
Student Attrition
Student retention
Students
Technical education
Undergraduate Students
Universities
Louisiana
Undergraduate research
Graduation rate
Underrepresented
Retention
Mentoring
STEM
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the United States, less than half of the students who enter into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate curricula as freshmen will actually graduate with a STEM degree. There is even greater disparity in the national STEM graduation rates of students from underrepresented groups with approximately three-fourths of minority students leaving STEM disciplines at the undergraduate level. A host of programs have been designed and implemented to model best practices in retaining students in STEM disciplines. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professors Program at Louisiana State University, under leadership of HHMI Professor Isiah M. Warner, represents one of these programs and reports on a mentoring model that addresses the key factors that impact STEM student attrition at the undergraduate level. By integrating mentoring and strategic academic interventions into a structured research program, an innovative model has been developed to guide STEM undergraduate majors in adopting the metacognitive strategies that allow them to excel in their programs of study, as they learn to appreciate and understand science more completely. Comparisons of the persistence of participants and nonparticipants in STEM curricular, at the host university and with other national universities and colleges, show the impact of the model's salient features on improving STEM retention through graduation for all students, particularly those from underrepresented groups.
ISSN:1059-0145
1573-1839
DOI:10.1007/s10956-011-9292-5