The STEMentors Program: Promoting the Academic Readiness and Community Building of Students within General Chemistry
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| Title: | The STEMentors Program: Promoting the Academic Readiness and Community Building of Students within General Chemistry |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Dory DeWeese, Jocelyn Elizabeth Nardo (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Chemical Education. 2024 101(1):88-96. |
| Availability: | Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | STEM Education, Mentors, Learning Readiness, Undergraduate Students, College Science, Science Education, Minority Group Students, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Supplementary Education, Tutoring, Sense of Belonging, Instructional Effectiveness |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c01020 |
| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| Abstract: | The retention disparities in undergraduate degree attainment are a persistent problem within the United States, especially for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), first-generation and low-income students, and women (referred to as marginalized groups in STEM [MGS] hereafter) pursuing STEM degrees. The following exploratory article illustrates how a program called STEMentors based in the Department of Chemistry has led to positive outcomes for MGS students taking general chemistry in 2021-2022. The goal of the article is to highlight how this program serves as an example for other universities to create and implement a similar model to support MGS students. The STEMentors program is a supplemental instruction opportunity aimed to mentor MGS students to further support them with the academic skills, study strategies, and content knowledge needed to be successful in first-year chemistry through a peer-led tutoring learning model. Qualitatively, the program draws from aggregated postsurvey data (N = 50) and student interview data (N = 5) to elucidate how students perceived their academic readiness and community building as a function of belonging. Implications suggest supplemental instruction programs like STEMentors are effective in helping students improve their belonging as a function of academic readiness and community building. Thus, continued research should work toward developing similar supplemental instruction programs across STEM courses. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1458768 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The retention disparities in undergraduate degree attainment are a persistent problem within the United States, especially for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), first-generation and low-income students, and women (referred to as marginalized groups in STEM [MGS] hereafter) pursuing STEM degrees. The following exploratory article illustrates how a program called STEMentors based in the Department of Chemistry has led to positive outcomes for MGS students taking general chemistry in 2021-2022. The goal of the article is to highlight how this program serves as an example for other universities to create and implement a similar model to support MGS students. The STEMentors program is a supplemental instruction opportunity aimed to mentor MGS students to further support them with the academic skills, study strategies, and content knowledge needed to be successful in first-year chemistry through a peer-led tutoring learning model. Qualitatively, the program draws from aggregated postsurvey data (N = 50) and student interview data (N = 5) to elucidate how students perceived their academic readiness and community building as a function of belonging. Implications suggest supplemental instruction programs like STEMentors are effective in helping students improve their belonging as a function of academic readiness and community building. Thus, continued research should work toward developing similar supplemental instruction programs across STEM courses. |
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| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c01020 |
