{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110857"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110857","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Factors that impact the development of Black women’s positive STEM identity","abstract":"A 23-question survey was given to capture the varied experiences of Black women in STEM throughout their developmental years into college. Participants self-selected at random from numerous social media sites with groups involving Black professional women and graduate students. Data was collected through an online survey service that provided analysis tools to organize data, Microsoft Excel also was used. Data was then probed for patterns as well as quantitative measures and other relevant variables. Two of the most intriguing questions with potentially interesting results were selected for further study; these were the open-ended constructs that allowed for more in-depth responses. They were categorized into eleven themes collectively. Each theme was individually coded for pre-identified patterns. Results indicated similar, yet surprising STEM experiences through the participants’ pre-collegiate schooling. Up to 87% of STEM respondents combined reported discouragement from pursuing STEM interest and felt their success in STEM was limited by several variables namely the intersectionality of their race and gender. Other contributing factors were discriminatory attitudes of nondescript facets. Many respondents described a perceived lack of access to formal in-school experiences as well as informal experiences, such as visiting museums, planetariums, and after-school STEM programs, etc. Access and practice would have not only exposed them to STEM resources, but the focused time of exploration and study would likely have improved their fluency and agility in those areas. Skills build confidence, expertise, independence, and knowledge in specific areas that can merge with self-identification with STEM and create peer leaders that then attract and encourage peers to explore STEM disciplines once thought “not for girls like me.” Implications for this study indicate a strong need for the purposefully directed design of learning environments that foster STEM with a particular focus on inclusion, mentoring, and fostering the interests of Black women and girls.","abstract_html":"A 23-question survey was given to capture the varied experiences of Black women in STEM throughout their developmental years into college. Participants self-selected at random from numerous social media sites with groups involving Black professional women and graduate students. Data was collected through an online survey service that provided analysis tools to organize data, Microsoft Excel also was used. Data was then probed for patterns as well as quantitative measures and other relevant variables. Two of the most intriguing questions with potentially interesting results were selected for further study; these were the open-ended constructs that allowed for more in-depth responses. They were categorized into eleven themes collectively. Each theme was individually coded for pre-identified patterns. Results indicated similar, yet surprising STEM experiences through the participants’ pre-collegiate schooling. Up to 87% of STEM respondents combined reported discouragement from pursuing STEM interest and felt their success in STEM was limited by several variables namely the intersectionality of their race and gender. Other contributing factors were discriminatory attitudes of nondescript facets. Many respondents described a perceived lack of access to formal in-school experiences as well as informal experiences, such as visiting museums, planetariums, and after-school STEM programs, etc. Access and practice would have not only exposed them to STEM resources, but the focused time of exploration and study would likely have improved their fluency and agility in those areas. Skills build confidence, expertise, independence, and knowledge in specific areas that can merge with self-identification with STEM and create peer leaders that then attract and encourage peers to explore STEM disciplines once thought “not for girls like me.” Implications for this study indicate a strong need for the purposefully directed design of learning environments that foster STEM with a particular focus on inclusion, mentoring, and fostering the interests of Black women and girls.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Martin, Shelana K"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Curriculum and Instruction","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Mercier, Emma","Lindgren, Robb","D'Angelo, Cynthia"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-09-17T04:06:53Z","date_published":"2021-09-17T04:06:53Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z","subjects":["STEM Identity","Black Women","Black girls"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2021, Shelana Martin"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110857","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Mercier, Emma","Lindgren, Robb","D'Angelo, Cynthia"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Martin, Shelana K"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2021-09-17T04:06:53Z","2023-09-17T04:07:01Z","2021-04-28","2021-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Curriculum and Instruction"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["STEM Identity","Black Women","Black girls"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021, Shelana Martin"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110857"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["A 23-question survey was given to capture the varied experiences of Black women in STEM throughout their developmental years into college. Participants self-selected at random from numerous social media sites with groups involving Black professional women and graduate students. Data was collected through an online survey service that provided analysis tools to organize data, Microsoft Excel also was used. Data was then probed for patterns as well as quantitative measures and other relevant variables. Two of the most intriguing questions with potentially interesting results were selected for further study; these were the open-ended constructs that allowed for more in-depth responses. They were categorized into eleven themes collectively. Each theme was individually coded for pre-identified patterns. Results indicated similar, yet surprising STEM experiences through the participants’ pre-collegiate schooling. Up to 87% of STEM respondents combined reported discouragement from pursuing STEM interest and felt their success in STEM was limited by several variables namely the intersectionality of their race and gender. Other contributing factors were discriminatory attitudes of nondescript facets. Many respondents described a perceived lack of access to formal in-school experiences as well as informal experiences, such as visiting museums, planetariums, and after-school STEM programs, etc. Access and practice would have not only exposed them to STEM resources, but the focused time of exploration and study would likely have improved their fluency and agility in those areas. Skills build confidence, expertise, independence, and knowledge in specific areas that can merge with self-identification with STEM and create peer leaders that then attract and encourage peers to explore STEM disciplines once thought “not for girls like me.” Implications for this study indicate a strong need for the purposefully directed design of learning environments that foster STEM with a particular focus on inclusion, mentoring, and fostering the interests of Black women and girls.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2023-05-01","The student, Shelana Martin, accepted the attached license on 2021-04-26 at 12:44.","The student, Shelana Martin, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-04-26 at 12:54.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-04-28 at 15:27.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16557 on 2021-09-16 at 20:14:19","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T04:06:53Z (GMT). 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Participants self-selected at random from numerous social media sites with groups involving Black professional women and graduate students. Data was collected through an online survey service that provided analysis tools to organize data, Microsoft Excel also was used. Data was then probed for patterns as well as quantitative measures and other relevant variables. Two of the most intriguing questions with potentially interesting results were selected for further study; these were the open-ended constructs that allowed for more in-depth responses. They were categorized into eleven themes collectively. Each theme was individually coded for pre-identified patterns. Results indicated similar, yet surprising STEM experiences through the participants’ pre-collegiate schooling. Up to 87% of STEM respondents combined reported discouragement from pursuing STEM interest and felt their success in STEM was limited by several variables namely the intersectionality of their race and gender. Other contributing factors were discriminatory attitudes of nondescript facets. Many respondents described a perceived lack of access to formal in-school experiences as well as informal experiences, such as visiting museums, planetariums, and after-school STEM programs, etc. Access and practice would have not only exposed them to STEM resources, but the focused time of exploration and study would likely have improved their fluency and agility in those areas. Skills build confidence, expertise, independence, and knowledge in specific areas that can merge with self-identification with STEM and create peer leaders that then attract and encourage peers to explore STEM disciplines once thought “not for girls like me.” Implications for this study indicate a strong need for the purposefully directed design of learning environments that foster STEM with a particular focus on inclusion, mentoring, and fostering the interests of Black women and girls.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2023-05-01","The student, Shelana Martin, accepted the attached license on 2021-04-26 at 12:44.","The student, Shelana Martin, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-04-26 at 12:54.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-04-28 at 15:27.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16557 on 2021-09-16 at 20:14:19","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T04:06:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 MARTIN-THESIS-2021.pdf: 699516 bytes, checksum: 88d785a67fa534efb7036a2651cfc068 (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4211 bytes, checksum: f530957a310efe34e896adde00ea64cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-04-28","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 118703 Lift date: 2023-09-17T04:07:01Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Limited"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110857"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021, Shelana Martin"],"dc:subject":["STEM Identity","Black Women","Black girls"],"dc:title":["Factors that impact the development of Black women’s positive STEM identity"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Curriculum and Instruction"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z"}