Sheu and Colleagues Awarded NSF Grant to Expand the Involvement of Women and Minorities in STEM
Albany, NY (October 2, 2013) - Hung-Bin Sheu (Co-PI), Counseling Psychology, and colleagues Robert Lent (PI), and Matthew Miller (Co-PI), University of Maryland College Park, have been awarded $296,174 from the National Science Foundation for their project, Broadening the Participation of Women and Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minorities in STEM: A Meta-Analytic Lens on the Social Cognitive Interest, Choice and Persistence Hypotheses.
The researchers will use a meta-analytic approach to integrate the findings of individual studies conducted over three decades (1981 to 2013) which have tested the social cognitive career theory's hypotheses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The findings of the project are intended to provide STEM policy makers, educators, researchers, counselors, and other professionals with a theory-based and empirically-supported understanding of factors that promote the engagement of underrepresented populations (e.g., women, racial/ethnic minorities) in STEM fields. This understanding can inform interventions for expanding the diversity of the STEM pipeline. The project also aims to offer opportunities to train and mentor a diverse group of graduate students and junior faculty members, fostering their ability to perform theory-driven research and building capacity for future studies on equity in STEM participation.