Applying Actor-Network Theory to Identify Factors Contributing to Nonpersistence of African American Students in STEM Majors

Autor/inn/en	Green, André M.; Brand, Brenda R.; Glasson, George E.
Titel	Applying Actor-Network Theory to Identify Factors Contributing to Nonpersistence of African American Students in STEM Majors
Quelle	In: Science Education, 103 (2019) 2, S.241-263 (23 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Green, André M.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0036-8326
DOI	10.1002/sce.21487
Schlagwörter	African American Students; Undergraduate Students; STEM Education; Majors (Students); Whites; Institutional Characteristics; Student Attitudes; Academic Persistence; School Holding Power; Power Structure; Underachievement; Peer Relationship; Teacher Student Relationship; College Faculty; Educational Experience; Disadvantaged; Networks; Academic Achievement + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? African Americans; Student; Students; Afroamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; STEM; White; Weißer; Schülerverhalten; Performance deficiency; Leistungsschwäche; Peer-Beziehungen; Teacher student relationships; Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung; Fakultät; Bildungserfahrung; Schulleistung
Abstract	African American undergraduates' decision to change from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors while enrolled at a predominantly White university was the focus of this study. Through open-ended interviews, the students discussed circumstances leading to their nonpersistence. Commonly published reports on the lower percentages of graduates from this demographic, while useful, do not provide a comprehensive view of this underperformance. Therefore, it is necessary to divulge the experiences of the individuals accounted for in these statistics, requiring a methodological approach that captures and reports experiences from individuals' vantage points. Actor-network theory (ANT) is a framework encouraging an understanding of the human experience through an identification of the complex networks and associated power dynamics that sustain and legitimize the systems in which they operate. According to ANT, individual's potential for achievement is directly related to their ability to successfully engage key actors, as well as successfully navigate the codes and structures that control access to power. Thus, ANT was used to examine the students' experiences. Evidenced in their discussions were unresolved feelings around weak relations with faculty and peers, as well as being viewed through deficit models. These findings could be useful for interpreting the statistics representing the lower percentages of African American students in STEM. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01