Premium
The Influence of Affirming Kindness and Community on Broadening Participation in STEM Career Pathways
Author(s) -
Estrada Mica,
EroyReveles Alegra,
Matsui John
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
social issues and policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.798
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1751-2409
pISSN - 1751-2395
DOI - 10.1111/sipr.12046
Subject(s) - kindness , workforce , context (archaeology) , inclusion (mineral) , psychology , population , career development , social psychology , public relations , sociology , political science , biology , demography , paleontology , law
The United States’ inability to achieve equitable workforce development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways is well‐recognized and has been attributed to the poor retention of a diverse stream of students in academia. Social science theory and research provide evidence that social contextual variables—specifically kindness cues affirming social inclusion—influence chronic underrepresentation of some groups within STEM career pathways. Review of the literature suggests that the current STEM academic context does not consistently provide cues that affirm social inclusion to all members of the academic population, and that policies that address this disparity are essential to broadening STEM workforce development in the United States.