Does Chemistry Offer What I Want? Associations of Socio-Demographic Background, Perceived Affordances and Field Belonging

To address high STEM college attrition rates, it is critical to understand what motivates undergraduates' pursuit of STEM. The current study investigated the association of a diverse socio-demographic background with different types of perceived chemistry career affordances (prosocial, other communal, and agentic) and their association with students' feelings of field belonging. In a socio-demographically diverse sample of undergraduates in a gateway chemistry course, female and ethnic minority students showed a stronger endorsement of career affordances. All three types of career affordances were associated with students' feelings of belonging in the chemical and health sciences field. This study advances our understanding of ethnically diverse students' understanding of the affordances provided in a particular STEM career.