2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Improving retention and degree attainment among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors from diverse low-income backgrounds is critical to growing the U.S. workforce and advancing the nation’s economy (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019). The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program strengthens these efforts by providing funding to not only implement programming to support the recruitment, retention, and graduation of low-income S-STEM students; they also fund scholarships exclusively for students that meet designated academic and financial conditions.

Prior research highlights that Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) enroll a disproportionately high number of low-income minority students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). To determine the appropriate practices and policies to support students at HBCUs, a nuanced understanding of approaches to increase the number and diversity of students who persist through college is needed. An S-STEM Research Hub, referred to as the Hub, was created to conduct research on effective strategies that support low-income STEM students’ success at HBCUs. Currently, the Hub partners with 11 HBCUs with active S-STEM grants.

The purpose of this convergence mixed-method study is to identify factors contributing to STEM development at HBCUs within the Hub. Obtaining both quantitative and qualitative results through semi-structured staff interviews, student focus groups, and electronic student surveys at Hub institutions, enabled the examination of critical factors that influence student experiences and lead to STEM persistence using the Black cultural student STEM success model (Williams & Taylor, 2022) as the guiding retention theory. The central research question was: What support structures contribute to student development and persistence at HBCUs within the Hub?

Interviews with staff were conducted with principal investigators (PIs) of S-STEM programs at 10 Hub institutions. Analyses of the staff interview data revealed three themes related to STEM student development including faculty engagement through S-STEM programming, peer engagement through S-STEM programming, and students’ exposure to applied or experiential learning opportunities. Similarly, analyses of student focus group data at four institutions identified the importance of faculty and peer engagement to support STEM discipline persistence, financial factors and considerations for STEM majors, and academic and professional development to support degree completion and post-baccalaureate goals. Results from the 228 completed electronic surveys indicated that S-STEM participants spent a higher average number of hours preparing for STEM courses and participating in extracurricular activities (e.g., student government, fraternities/sororities). In contrast, non-participants spent more time on social/recreational activities (e.g., watching TV, partying). S-STEM program participants also averaged a higher GPA. However, all STEM students reported positive on-campus experiences and similar goals after graduation (e.g., pursuing a career or advanced degree in a STEM field).

Future work will support research efforts of S-STEM PIs at Hub institutions by sharing deidentified datasets, including institution specific data, with PIs that sign data use agreements. Additionally, findings from the research across institutions will not only be shared with Hub institutions but disseminated broadly to STEM and HBCUs leaders to share best practices for retaining low-income students at HBCUs.