Topic "Student Persistence in Academic Science from an Identity and Cultural Ecological Perspective"

The key role science identity plays in student persistence and retention in the sciences is well established in the field of science education, especially for those historically excluded from academic science. The construct of science identity has served as both a theoretical lens and a methodological tool for examining how various cognitive and affective experiences shape how individuals see themselves and are recognized by others as science persons. Further, science identity scholarship has provided evidence of how certain social and institutional structures may serve as barriers to student's trajectories in science careers.

Despite efforts, our understanding of the nuanced process of becoming a science professional given the relationality to other social identities and its contextual dependency is limited. In this light, this talk will first leverage the perspectives of those whose voices are often silenced or overlooked to characterize the culture and climate of academic science. In tandem, this work uses cultural-ecological frameworks to consider how students' social and science identities are shaped by interactions within academic science and how their academic and professional goals are impacted by such interactions. Finally, to counter narrow perspectives of what science is and what is valued in science, the lens of science identity will be used to illuminate factors that motivate students' decisions to leave or persist in STEM career pathways.

This talk will journey through three research studies that are focused on undergraduate and/or graduate student experiences in natural sciences.