Outcomes and Processes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program: STEM PhD Completion, Sense of Community, Perceived Program Benefit, Science Identity, and Research Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Studies found that African-American Meyerhoff Scholars were 4.8 times more likely to complete STEM PhDs than comparison sample students (study 1) and that perceived benefits of program components fully mediated the relationship between sense of community and both science identity and research self-efficacy (study 2).

Proxies for Success: How the Application Process Correlates to PhD Pursuit for a Small Diversity Research Program

“…We are analyzing data from these components to see what themes were most prominent by those pursuing PhD. We also believe that research self-efficacy and selfidentity is certainly important as shown by others (Maton et al, 2016;McGee & Keller, 2007). We plan to explore this avenue with our data as well as the gains made in areas that indicate research self-efficacy (e.g., increased competence in reading and interpreting literature, troubleshooting experiments, scientific communication, etc.)…”

“…Most of the reports so far indicate that the program components (e.g., mentorship, research skills, etc.) are important, while others indicate that selfidentity and self-efficacy are key and may mediate the effects of the program components (J. D. Hall et al, 2016;Maton et al, 2016;McGee & Keller, 2007;Remich et al, 2016). Thus, more research is essential to understand the impacts of diversity research programs on URM PhD pursuit and completion.…”

“…The outcomes of the Meyerhoff program are also linked to PhD completion. Maton et al (2016) showed that participation in Meyerhoff for URM increased the likelihood of completing a PhD, where African American Meyerhoff students were more likely to complete a PhD than comparable students who declined the program (Maton et al, 2016).…”

Can I really do this? Perceived benefits of a STEM intervention program and women’s engineering self-efficacy

“…STEM intervention programs that focus on increasing undergraduates' self-efficacy, or self-confidence in one's ability to accomplish a given task, are successful in contributing to students' persistence to STEM degree attainment and the pursuit of a STEM career 9 . Effective strategies implemented within STEM intervention programs include but are not limited to academic advising, faculty mentorship, tutoring, internship opportunities, and career and skill development.…”

“…Varying in scale and scope, these programs are typically designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented students in STEM fields, including women. Additionally, STEM intervention programs seek to cultivate students' self-efficacy within their field 7 . Self-efficacy refers to a person's confidence in her or his ability to accomplish a particular task 8 .…”