The Science of Broadening Participation in STEM: A Symposium Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The 2016 Symposium on the Science of Broadening Participation (SoBP) was a major event held in recognition of the need for an assembled and curated body of knowledge ready for use for effective policy development and implementation in relation to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Accordingly, analysis of Symposium communications—the presentations, discussions, and other interchanges among participants—was conducted to determine foundations and content for delineating the parameters and potential of an effective SoBP, especially as regards the development of a diverse, encompassing, and dynamic STEM workforce. Critical issues regarding frameworks, data and metrics, education, and workforce were identified and discussed for SoBP development and application, along with policy directives. In addition to general recommendations, areas for further study, such as community, also were indicated for SoBP consideration and expansion.

Keywords

symposium STEM discourse analysis Science of Broadening Participation (SoBP)

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Coates

R. D.

(2012). Covert racism: Theories, institutions, and experiences. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books.

Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, National Science Foundation. (2013). Broadening Participation in America’s STEM Workforce, 2011-2012 (Biennial Report to Congress Broadening Participation in America’s STEM Workforce, CEOSE 13-01). Alexandria, VA: Author.

Freeman

R. B.

Huang

(2014). Strength in diversity: Richard B. Freeman and Wei Huang reflect on a link between a team’s ethnic mix and highly cited papers. Nature, 513, 305-306.

Greenwood

Oliver

Sahlin

Suddaby

(2008). Handbook of organizational institutionalism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Herring

(2009). Does diversity pay? Race, gender, and the business case for diversity. American Sociological Review, 74, 208-224.

Hunt

Layton

Prince

(2015, February 2). Diversity matters. New York, NY: McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://assets.mckinsey.com/~/media/857F440109AA4D13A54D9C496D86ED58.ashx

Husbands Fealing

McNeely

C. L.

(2016). Report on the Symposium on the Science of Broadening Participation, Arlington, VA. Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/sbe/scisip/SoBP_Symposium_report_final.pdf/

Joshi

Roh

(2009). The role of context in work team diversity research: A meta-analytic review. Academy of Management Journal, 52, 599-627.

National Academy of Sciences. (2011). Expanding underrepresented minority participation: America’s science and technology talent at the crossroads. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

10.

Pless

N. M.

Maak

(2004). Building an inclusive diversity culture: Principles, processes, and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 54, 129-147.

11.

Schofer

Ramirez

F. O.

Meyer

J. W.

(2000). The effects of science on national economic development, 1970-1990. American Sociological Review, 65, 877-898.

12.

Scott

C. L.

(Ed.). (2010). Leveraging diversity: Multiple settings, professions, strategies, and theoretical frameworks. Geneva, Switzerland: Intersciences Enterprises.

13.

Scott

C. L.

Byrd

M. Y.

(Eds.). (2012). Handbook of research on workforce diversity: Technologies and concepts. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference.

14.

Smith-Doerr

Alegria

S. N.

Sacco

(2017). How diversity matters in the US Science and Engineering Workforce: A critical review considering integration in teams, fields, and organizational contexts. Engaging Science, Technology, and Society, 3, 139-153.

15.

Suddaby

Elsbach

Greenwood

Meyer

J. W.

Zilber

(2010). Organizations and their institutional environments: Bringing meaning, values and culture back in. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 1234-1240.

16.

Sue

D. W.

(2010a). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. New York, NY: Wiley.

17.

Sue

D. W.

(Ed.). (2010b). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics, and impact. New York, NY: Wiley.

18.

Turner

C. S. V.

Myers

S. L.

Jr. Creswell

J. W.

(1999). Exploring underrepresentation: The case of faculty of color in the Midwest. Journal of Higher Education, 70, 27-59.

19.

UNESCO. (2007). Science, technology, and gender: An international report. Paris, France: Author.

20.

UNESCO. (2010). UNESCO science report 2010: The current status of science around the world. Paris, France: Author.