Congratulations to Melissa Solis who on Friday, May 31, 2024, successfully defended her dissertation proposal. The title of Melissa’s study is: A STEM PREPARATION PROGRAM: EXPECTANCY BELIEFS AND PERCEIVED VALUES OF BLACK AND HISPANIC UNDERGRADUATES. Melissa’s research seeks to understand the role STEM support programs play in minority student success. Despite the substantial increase in funding and career opportunities in STEM fields, a significant gap persists in the persistence, attainment, and employment of racially minoritized students in these careers. Only 18% of African American students and 22% of Hispanic students report earning a bachelor’s degree in STEM disciplines, compared to 33% of White students and 42% of Asian students (Chang et al., 2014). This quantitative study will survey STEM majors enrolled in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) at 4-year institutions across New York state, focusing on their career aspirations, academic goals, and experiences. CSTEP supports undergraduate students who are residents of New York and from African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native, or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and who are interested in pursuing STEM majors. Using the expectancy-value theory, Melissa will examine how CSTEP influences expectancy and value beliefs and, in turn, how they influence future aspirations and goals to understand how the program works and if it could potentially contribute to closing the STEM achievement gap.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Nora Broege
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Yiping Wan
Dr. Akane Zusho
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