Not All Sophomores Slump: Examining the Experiences of Underrepresented Racially Minoritized Second-Year Students in STEM

Second-year students, also known as the forgotten class, receive the least attention of any undergraduate college class, making fewer contact points with faculty and garnering minimal support from student affairs staff. The second year of college represents different challenges than the first year, and at some institutions, a higher percentage of students are likely to leave between their second and third years. Racially minoritized students experience chilly campus climates, low sense of belonging, and they are less likely to graduate from college than their White peers. For students who major in STEM, the feelings of isolation and being the only ones are intensified. Structural racism, negative stereotypes, and lack of mentorship are pervasive in STEM disciplines, with negative effects on the recruitment, retention, and professional development of scholars from ethnic and racial minorities. By studying a population of students with these three identities, this study adds to the literature on these distinct populations while providing a more comprehensive understanding of their potential challenges. Specifically, this study sought to examine the research question: How do racially minoritized STEM students describe the second-year experience? This qualitative research study was informed by Carlone and Johnson's (2007) science identity model and Schaller's (2005) sophomore development model. Carlone and Johnson's model posited science identity as a changing, context-specific, intersectional identity that interacts with racial, ethnic, and gender identities and is composed of three overlapping dimensions: competence, performance, and recognition. Schaller's model outlines four stages of development for sophomores: random exploration, focused exploration, tentative choices, and commitment. I combined tenants of these two models to create the second-year model for racially minoritized STEM students to provide a more comprehensive view of student experiences. I employed a social constructivist approach to examine how nine underrepresented, racially minoritized STEM students described the second year of college at a 4-year, research-intensive, public university in the midwestern part of the United States. Using a two-stage process known as double hermeneutics and engagement with the transcripts and notes taken during the interviews, I identified four themes of how underrepresented racially minoritized STEM students described their second-year experience: (1) awareness of race; (2) reality check; (3) embracing challenges; and (4) I can do this! This study concludes with an interpretation of findings, further exploration of the second-year model for racially minoritized STEM students, and implications for practice along with future research related to the experiences of second-year, underrepresented, racially minoritized students in STEM majors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]