Program evaluation of a virtual mentoring program for BIPOC undergraduates in psychology.

Abstract

There are disproportionate percentages of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) earning doctoral degrees in psychology compared to BIPOC represented in the general population due to systemic barriers in the graduate application process. This lack of diversity exacerbates mental health disparities among BIPOC both in the general population and in the psychology doctoral programs and leads to lower quality research on BIPOC communities. To address these systemic barriers in the graduate application process, we implemented Scholars Committed to Opportunities in Psychological Education (SCOPE), an antiracist and culturally informed program that provides workshops and mentorship to BIPOC undergraduates interested in pursuing graduate education in psychology. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SCOPE program in a virtual format. Participants were 59 racial/ethnic minority undergraduates who completed the SCOPE program and pre- and postprogram questionnaires regarding application knowledge, application confidence, stress, and program satisfaction. We hypothesized that knowledge about the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the application process, and application confidence would increase, and stress would decrease, following the completion of the SCOPE program. Wilcoxon signed rank test results were consistent with our hypotheses, indicating that the SCOPE program improves a variety of factors relevant to success in the graduate application process. Additionally, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the program and their mentors and did not endorse experiencing any microaggressions during the program.

A review of undergraduate research programs aimed at underrepresented students

“… 66 Scholars Committed to Opportunities in Psychological Education BIPOC psychology students flexible GRE prep, application knowledge anti-racist, culturally informed mentoring and curriculum specifically targeting and asks about presence of microaggressions focused only on psychology; lacks defined research component Silverstein et al. 67 UMBC CyberTraining initiative advanced graduate students, junior researchers, and select undergraduates summer long-term social contacts with higher-career-level students online team-based training interdisciplinary with individuals from many career levels; employs LinkedIn, Google Drive, and Webex as online collaboration platforms; team-based projects alongside curricula poorly defined mentorship roles; outcomes of undergraduates not explicated Gobbert and Wang 58 Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) UR undergraduates interested in healthcare two consecutive summers increased healthcare workforce diversity focus on healthcare careers; multiple well-defined avenues for mentoring allows direct entry to Perelman School of Medicine; biomedical skills (research), paired with regular shadowing and healthcare-related activities limited to healthcare field; relatively smaller and limited to certain institutions; appeal of “guaranteed” admission may not be as appealing at smaller institutions Zhou et al. 68 Southern California Bioinformatics Summer Institute bioinformatics students summer specialization in bioinformatics, with many graduates going on to pursue bioinformatics includes undergraduates and graduates; off-site placements; implemented at institution with no existing bioinformatics infrastructure highly focused curriculum; includes distinct phases for both learning (didactic) and research highly specialized, not diverse in subject matter; mentoring mechanisms unclear Krilowicz et al.…”

Mentoring across difference and distance: building effective virtual research opportunities for underrepresented minority undergraduate students in biological sciences

“…While entirely virtual undergraduate research experiences are relatively new, there is an emerging body of research that documents their advantages ( 19 – 21 ). Virtual research and mentoring programs effectively address barriers to participation, such as financial constraints, transportation difficulties, living expenses, and caregiving responsibilities.…”