STEM doctoral mentoring: a call for a conscious, culturally responsive journey
International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education
ISSN: 2046-6854
Article publication date: 3 June 2021
Issue publication date: 20 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research study was to explore U.S. STEM faculty’s perceptions of culturally responsive mentoring underrepresented doctoral students in STEM programs. The research question that guided this study was “How do STEM doctoral faculty mentors engage in culturally responsive mentoring?
Design/methodology/approach
A case study research design was used and included findings from an embedded case drawn from a larger ongoing study. Six STEM faculty participants provided in-depth insights into the dynamic nature of the culturally responsive mentoring journey through semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using thematic analysis. The theoretical framework for this research study was grounded in the ideas posited by culturally responsive pedagogy.
Findings
The findings revealed three themes related to the mentoring journeys experienced by the faculty fellows: an academic journey, an intentional journey, and a subliminal journey.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this research provide significant contribution to the current literature on mentoring and point to the importance of continuous, structured research efforts to increase the quality of mentoring for URM students in doctoral STEM programs.
Practical implications
STEM faculty could benefit from participating in mentor training framed by culturally responsive pedagogy. Future research is needed to explore the mentor training needs of STEM faculty in other environments, including contexts outside the United States.
Originality/value
This study extends understanding of STEM faculty's knowledge, dispositions, and abilities of culturally responsive mentoring and emphasizes the need for ongoing professional development training in this area.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the NSF under Grant Nos. 1820536, 182058, and 1820582. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.This article is based upon the conference presentation “Experiences and Perceptions on Culturally Responsive STEM Doctoral Mentoring” hosted at the Hawaii International Conference on Education on January 4, 2020.
Citation
Sanczyk, A., Merriweather, L.R., Howell, C.D. and Douglas, N.C. (2021), "STEM doctoral mentoring: a call for a conscious, culturally responsive journey", International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 10 No. 3, pp. 284-297. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-07-2020-0034
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited