More than Academics: The Transformative Effect of an Identity-Based Peer Mentor Program for Asian American STEM Students

Autor/inn/en	Kodama, Corinne Maekawa; Park, Christen E.
Titel	More than Academics: The Transformative Effect of an Identity-Based Peer Mentor Program for Asian American STEM Students
Quelle	In: About Campus, 26 (2021) 1, S.17-25 (9 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Kodama, Corinne Maekawa)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1086-4822
DOI	10.1177/1086482220969677
Schlagwörter	Peer Relationship; Mentors; Asian American Students; STEM Education; Racial Identification; Sense of Community; College Students; Student Attitudes; Program Evaluation; Illinois (Chicago) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Peer-Beziehungen; Asian immigrant; United States; Student; Students; Asiatischer Einwanderer; USA; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; STEM; Collegestudent; Schülerverhalten; Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation
Abstract	The Asian American Mentor Program (AAMP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), which has been a designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) since 2010, is an Asian American, identity-based peer mentor program designed to provide academic and personal support as well as a sense of belonging to assist students in adjusting to college. Recently former AAMP Mentors were interviewed to understand their experiences in the program and discovered interconnected gains in communication skills, identity development, and sense of community. Mentors took away just as much as they gave to the program in terms of valuable learning and development. However, within these responses the authors found something unexpected: a particularly transformative effect for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students. While AAMP is not STEM-focused, because of the composition of the UIC student body, many of the mentors are STEM majors. These mentors were very clear in articulating how their AAMP involvement was important to their personal and academic growth in very different ways from their STEM education, particularly around Asian American issues and identity. This is particularly important in STEM environments, which often either (1) pay little attention to race and identity issues, particularly for Asian Americans, or (2) can be a challenging environment for students of color. This article examines the AAMP and what lessons can be drawn from the stories of AAMP STEM mentors that are important in adding complexity to how Asian American students think about the intersections of identity-based support programs and STEM education to meet their unique needs. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01