ERIC Number: EJ1408164
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1946-2077
EISSN: EISSN-2766-497X
Stepping Out and Stepping Up: Narratives of Women of Color in an Urban STEM OST Program
Kimberly Sterin; Katie Mathew; Ague Mae Manongsong; Ayana Allen-Handy; Jacqueline Genovesi; Kim Godfrey; Dominique Thomas; Janai Keita; Ian Marcus; Nancy Peter; Hilary Blecker; Sharon Walker
Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, v17 spec iss 2023
The science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields have a well-documented racialized and gendered participation gap between males, particularly white males, and women of color (WOC). Through a Critical Race Feminist lens, this qualitative research study uses life-story narrative analysis to understand the experiences of eleven WOC who participated in an urban STEM-focused out-of-school time (OST) program. Data analysis showed students story their experiences around three overarching themes: (1) Experiencing New Opportunities; (2) Cultivating Supportive Relationships; and (3) Expanding STEM Career Possibilities. Findings indicate that an urban STEM-focused OST program can activate an ecosystem of opportunities and support which can empower WOC to step out of their socialized comfort zones and step up to more advanced academic and career paths. Participant narratives demonstrate how their experiences in a particular urban STEM OST program opened doors and encouraged pathways otherwise historically made inaccessible to WOC in STEM fields.
Descriptors: Females, Minority Group Students, Extracurricular Activities, STEM Education, Student Experience, Urban Schools, Program Effectiveness, Opportunities, Interpersonal Relationship, Social Support Groups, STEM Careers, Student Empowerment, Career Development, Student Development
AERA SIG: Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research. Tel: 323-343-4393; Web site: http://jultr.online/index.php/jultr
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1849735