Implementation of an Innovative Academic Enrichment Program and Its Impact on Psychosocial Factors in Minoritized Learners at an HBCU

Abstract

Successful retention of racially and ethnically diverse undergraduate STEM majors remains a major challenge for institutions of higher education and poses a significant threat to the size, diversity, and innovation of the future STEM workforce (National Science Foundation, 2010). To address this challenge, this study describes the design and implementation of a custom- designed academic enrichment program at an HBCU aimed at increasing retention of minoritized students in STEM. Undergraduate participants were administered three subscales pre- and post- intervention to evaluate the impact of the enrichment program on their general self-efficacy, creative self-efficacy, and implicit theories of intelligence. Results indicate that the intervention had a positive impact on some measures of implicit theories of intelligence and general self-efficacy among participants. These psychosocial intervention strategies may increase the success and retention of minoritized students within STEM majors and support the growth and diversification of the future STEM workforce.