Written by Lauren Chin

How do we help students feel like they belong in STEM??

Ensuring students feel like they belong in STEM is a huge component to determining their success and happiness with their studies.

A recent study done in North Carolina (Rainey, K., Dancy, M., Mickelson, R. et al.) asked college STEM majors, as well as students who had dropped STEM majors, about their sense of belonging while pursuing a STEM major.

The researchers highlighted 4 themes across the interviews:

1. Interpersonal relationships

2. Science identity

3. Personal interest

4. Competence

Overall, female majors were significantly less likely to feel like they belonged in STEM, and students of color were also less likely to feel a sense of belonging than their white peers, with women of color being least likely to feel that they belonged.

So, how can we use the researchers’ findings to encourage a diverse and inclusive STEM learning environment before and during college? Below we have identified effective strategies to help support students in each area, and have even included some tips on how to use these with both older and younger students!

Interpersonal Relationships

Students who were friends with other students in the same major felt a stronger sense of belonging in contrast to those that left their major or who felt socially isolated from peers in their major. Some also felt out of place because they were one of the few students from their racial group in their major, which is why it is so important to nurture underrepresented students in their youth toward STEM aspirations to prevent them from facing this additional challenge in higher education. We can point out similarities between students or connect them with groups that they may find familiarity and support in.

Speaking with a younger student…

You like to play baseball and you want to be an astronaut? Did you know X in your class also loves baseball and is interested in space?

Speaking with an older student…

I heard you’re interested in marine biology, did you know there is a scuba club on campus? I know several marine biology majors there! You should check out the Latinas in STEM club as well!

Science Identity

The researchers looked at individual students’ feelings of being a “science person” and found that STEM students strongly connected their major to their personal identity, and couldn’t imagine studying anything else. Students that left STEM majors felt that they weren’t as passionate as others, or that their core traits did not align with the STEM field that they had left.

By exposing students from a young age to scientific concepts and hands-on experiments, we can encourage them to “think like a scientist,” build curiosity around STEM subjects, and lead them to different areas of scientific fields that suit their personalities. We can also tell them that a STEM identity can be shared with a non-STEM identity in scientists of the past and present.

Speaking with a younger student…

You want to be an actress? Did you know Hedy Lamarr was a movie star AND helped invent WiFi?

Speaking with an older student…

I understand that you like working with other students and still want to ask and answer scientific questions, but don’t want to be in a research lab; have you ever thought about being a scientific journalist or a consultant?

Personal Interest

Students may initially feel that they belong in a STEM field, but become discouraged when their schoolwork requires studying class topics that they do not find interesting, such as an environmental science major having to take mostly molecular biology courses at their school. We can encourage students to state their greatest interests and suggest STEM fields, programs, or careers that center around those topics, rather than discourage them from interests because they don't seem to fit into the traditional jobs of the field.

Speaking with a younger student…

You love desserts? Did you know that there are scientists called molecular gastronomists that use science to make super yummy desserts like bubbles made of fruit?

Speaking with an older student…

I heard you like to draw and want to learn new techniques? I would suggest checking out these academic programs for anatomical illustration or 3D-graphic modeling.

Competence

STEM majors who struggled to feel like they belonged thought they did not understand class material as much as their peers, and felt like they were not able to consistently contribute to group discussions and projects. Each student has their own unique perception of personal performance and understanding based on their grades, conceptual understanding, and ability to communicate understanding to peers; for example, two students may earn a B+, and one may view this as failure whereas the other may view this as a personal best. In any case, proactive encouragement and consistent validation is essential! Applaud their willingness to ask questions and seek help to better understand the material, rather than comparing them to peers. In discussions surrounding STEM, thank students for voicing their ideas and opinions, regardless of the scientific correctness; they’re students, not experts, after all!

Speaking with a younger student…

“Thank you, X, for your idea about why pig tails are curly, that’s so creative, I didn’t think of that!”

Speaking with an older student…

I’d like to jump on X’s idea about why the water table may be contaminated, let’s think about possible solutions if this were the case...”

Ultimately, the researchers hope that better understanding of how the norms and cultural climate of STEM fields support those in privileged groups (ie., white men) while discouraging those from historically underrepresented groups can help us craft solutions to not only get young students interested in STEM, but maintain that focus in future years after the initial focus is established. By changing how we interact with students’ views of themselves in STEM, we can bolster their persistence to pursue STEM in their younger years and throughout higher education.

Sources

Rainey, K., Dancy, M., Mickelson, R. et al. Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM. IJ STEM Ed 5, 10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0115-6