Progress Report Promoting Diversity: Access and Engagement in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Careers

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Progress Report Promoting Diversity Access
and Engagement in Biomedical and Behavioral
Research Careers

• Sylvia Hurtado, Professor
• Mitchell Chang, Associate Professor
• Higher Education Research Institute
• UCLA
• June 13th, 2005

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Targeted Institutions and Participants

• Minority serving institutions (MSIs)
• Institutions that produce large numbers of
  minority baccalaureates in the sciences (Top 50)
• MARC/MBRS/MORE/PREP program institutionsincludes
  PWIs and MSIs
• Other types of selective institutions (liberal
  arts colleges, private universities)
• URMs, White and Asian students with intentions to
  major in about a dozen biomedical/behavioral
  science fieldssmall sample of URMs in other
  fields

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Research Plan Key Components

• CIRP Freshman Survey, administered at orientation
  at over 720 institutions (baseline sample), 644
  with URMs with initial intentions for
  biological/behavioral science majors
• YFCY End of First Year Survey, about 223
  institutions agreed to participate, 104 NIH
  targeted
• Classroom-based studies of introductory courses
  in MSIs and PWIs, and focus groups
• CSS 4th Year of College Survey, approximately
• 10,000 students

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Project Phase 1 CIRP Freshman Survey (SIF)

• 720 institutions with 424,000 freshmen
  respondents
• 51 MSIs (HBCUs HSIs)
• 64 institutions with NIH-sponsored programs
• Data collection completed Fall 2004
• Merging of institutional characteristics data
  from IPEDS and possibly College Board academic
  data and registrar data by the end of summer

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Dissemination for Phase I

• One paper has been submitted for publication to
  Research In Higher Education and presented at a
  national conference May30 th
• Analyses have begun on two additional papers to
  be presented at national conferences, one report
  to be released at the end of summer
• Institutional reports Approx. 104 institutions
  will receive reports and/or data on students in
  NIH selected fields at the end of summer
• All reports and papers are available for download
  from the HERI/NIH website www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/
  nih

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Phase I Research Questions

• What are the pre-college experiences and
  characteristics (at college entry) of URM
  students who show aspirations for scientific
  research?
• Are there institutional implications for
  improving long-term retention and success in the
  health-related scientific research fields that
  build upon students' entering dispositions?

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Pre-College Research Participation by Race
(weighted)
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Pre-College Aspirations by Race (weighted)
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Results Mean differences for Making a
Contribution to Scientific Research
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Results Predictors of Intention to Make a
Contribution to Scientific Research
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Results Predictors of Intention to Make a
Contribution to Scientific Research
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Discussion of findings

• High aspirations of underrepresented minority
  students
• Importance of formal coursework and experiential
  learning in the sciences while in high school
• Self-efficacy and goal development supercedes
  effect of academic credentials and background
  characteristics
• Connection between concern about finances and
  intention to contribute to scientific research

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Phase II First-year follow-up (YFCY)

• Focus on college experiences, access to
  resources, survey instrument completed
• We contacted 129 institutions based on
• status as an MSI
• presence of NIH-sponsored programs targeting URM
  students
• Number of URMs that responded to the SIF
• Number of URMs that indicated their college major
  was in the biomedical or behavioral science fields

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Phase II First-year follow-up (YFCY)

• 104 of targeted institutions agreed to
  participate, 119 additional institutions
  participated
• Spring 2005 survey packets were mailed directly
  to students
• Paper/web survey option
• Email reminders were sent
• Phone calls to target groups
• Analyses will take place over 2005-06 with a
  report available in 2006, institutions receive
  their reports in Fall 2005

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Resources

• Project website http//www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/ni
  h
• Papers and reports available for download from
  website
• The American Freshman National Norms for Fall
  2004 (order forms on HERI website)