Inequities in STEM persist, notably in underrepresented groups relating to gender, race, socio-economic status, and disability. The purpose of this study was to explore correlations between STEM identities, personal identities, mentor-related experiences, and academic/career persistence of undergraduate students in Idaho public post-secondary…

Undergraduate hospitality programs typically integrate a work-integrated learning (WIL) component such as a co-op placement, practicum, or internship. Mentorship is one practice in the workplace that offers opportunities to enhance both psychosocial and career development support. This qualitative study explores undergraduate hospitality…

Research on peer academic coaching is limited and primarily focused on the outcomes of students receiving coaching. However, the peer coach also learns through experience. This qualitative study aims to understand peer academic coaches' perceptions of their coaching roles and experiences. I collected interview and artifact data from three…

Motivated by ongoing gender disparities in engineering, the authors qualitatively examine how collegiate STEM student organizations serve as affirming spaces for women's engineering identity development, countering their exclusionary classroom environments. Drawing from interviews and written data with 24 undergraduate women, findings demonstrate…

Qualified professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education are in increasingly short supply globally. Role models can help increase women's representation in STEM, both at entry and senior levels. The study objectives were to identify the characteristics of role models in STEM higher education and…

While the field of economics lacks diversity, there is little consensus on the underlying causes of or most effective solutions to this problem. The authors of this article combine data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with data from their own survey of U.S. economics departments to identify institution and…

Featuring scientists in classroom materials provides opportunities for students to relate to scientists as role models and see themselves in science. However, it is unclear what information students find most relatable when encountering scientists throughout their education. In this study, we manipulated the amount and type of information provided…

Institutions of higher learning generally seek to provide students with experiential learning, professional development, and tools for contributing to a diverse global society. However, many students are not able to connect their learning to their career interest. As a result, graduates do not feel confident that they have acquired the job…

Math Girls Rock! is a year-long, two-tiered mathematics mentoring program that prepares female undergraduate mentors to facilitate high school girls' engagement in challenging mathematics concepts through a dynamic after-school program. In this article, we describe the distinct educational component of this program in which female faculty members…

Girls' participation in STEM careers remains low despite global efforts to close the gender gap. This study examines the factors influencing girls' pursuit of STEM-related careers in three public universities in Ghana, focusing on parental educational attainment, parental involvement, career counselling, and exposure to role models. Using the…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) play a prominent role in today's society. At the same time, studies show that the gap in science performance between students from lower socioeconomic background and students from a more advantaged background is wide. Studies further show that role models can have a positive effect and the…

Purpose: This study examines the perspectives of undergraduate science and technology students in Thailand regarding the influence of various role models on their entrepreneurial skills. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed the single case study research method. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. The sample…

This study examined the stability and change in career aspirations throughout the college-to-work transition among ethnic minority Arab students in Israel and tested the contributions of contextual and personal factors to career aspirations before and after this transition. At Time 1, 957 Arab students in Israel participated at the end of their…

Similar-identity role models, including instructors, can benefit science undergraduates by enhancing their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. However, for students to have similar-identity role models based on identities that can be hidden, instructors need to disclose their identities. For concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) - identities…

The aim of this study was to explore family relationship experiences of first-generation college students (FGCS) as they transition to and persist through college. The sample includes eight undergraduate FGCS (aged 18-22). Seven participants identified as female, and one identified as Questioning. Participants' descriptions of their social class…