Supporting BIPOC Males in STEM: Insights from a Case Study on Online Peer Mentoring
University of the District of Columbia
How they used Delve
Education researchers at the University of the District of Columbia and Bethune-Cookman University used Delve to code interviews and a focus group with BIPOC male STEM students at an HBCU, relying on its simultaneous and nested coding to run two rounds of coding by two researchers into five themes about belonging, confidence and persistence.
“Data were then transcribed, and transcriptions were entered into the Delve qualitative analysis program. A combination of inductive and deductive coding was used to code the data within Delve. The use of Delve allowed for simultaneous coding (where the same passage could have more than one code applied to it) and nested coding (where a large passage could include embedded or subcodes) (Saldaña, 2016).”
- Field
- STEM education and student retention; an online peer mentoring programme for BIPOC male students in STEM degree programmes at a historically Black institution
- Data
- Hour-long individual interviews and an hour-long focus group with BIPOC male students enrolled in STEM degree programmes at a historically Black institution, conducted in Spring 2021 with open-ended questions as part of a larger online peer mentoring programme evaluation
- Approach
- Case study design combining deductive coding against the guiding questions and theoretical framework (Bandura's self-efficacy theory, Tinto's institutional departure model, Social Cognitive Career Theory) with inductive, data-driven coding. In vivo codes were generated and aligned with process codes following Saldaña. Two rounds of coding were conducted by two different researchers to establish agreement, after which codes were organised into five themes agreed by both. Memoing documented the rationale for coding decisions, and annotation was used to surface researcher bias.
- Data types
- Interviews, Focus groups
Abstract
The current study explores the implementation and impact of online peer mentee training, part of a larger online peer mentoring program, on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and STEM identity of Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC) males enrolled in STEM degree programs at a historically Black institution. Framed by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, Tinto’s Institutional department Model, and Social Cognitive Career Theory, it examines participants’ intent to persist in their STEM degree programs and subsequent STEM careers. Using a case study design, interviews and focus groups were analyzed. Five themes were identified: Development and Solidification of Identity, Increase in Confidence, Motivation to Make an Impact, Belonging, and Persistence and Retention through Developing Skills. The study is significant as it attends to the dearth in research that examines BIPOC males’ experiences in an online peer mentoring program while enrolled in STEM degree programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The findings provide insight on one method for supporting the participation of BIPOC males in STEM—an historically underrepresented population within STEM degree programs and fields. The findings inform institutions seeking to broaden participation within STEM fields while simultaneously supporting the retention of underrepresented populations in STEM degree programs. The findings also inform future implementations of online peer mentoring programs within HBCUs.
Citation
Jillian L. Wendt, Vivan Jones (2024). Supporting BIPOC Males in STEM: Insights from a Case Study on Online Peer Mentoring. Journal of Research in STEM Education. https://doi.org/10.51355/j-stem.2024.145