Socio-Cognitive Motivation Predictors and STEM Persistence Plans Among Women of Color: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Reformulation and Investigation

Abstract

This study reformulates social cognitive career theory by going beyond the conventional emphasis on self-efficacy to provide new insight into the multiple socio-cognitive motivation predictors of STEM persistence plans among Women of Color (African American and Latina). Building on expectancy-value and role-strain theories, a reformulated socio-cognitive career model (RSCCM) was developed to better understand pivotal motivational factors that empower some Women of Color, despite facing systemic barriers, to persist in their undergraduate STEM majors, pursue Ph.D. degrees and plan STEM research careers. This theory-driven study makes unique contributions to existing higher education literature on college persistence by further clarifying multiple socio-cognitive motivation predictors of STEM persistence plans among Women of Color during the undergraduate-to-graduate studies transition. Based on a larger NIH-NIGMS funded study, multiple regression analyses were conducted on panel survey data from 179 Women of Color who applied to the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) at 14 major universities affiliated with the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA). Guided by the RSCCM, several hypotheses were tested to explore the role of STEM self-efficacy, STEM outcome expectancies, perceived STEM talents, STEM intervention-based appraisals, and perceived barriers and supports on STEM persistence plans. Findings indicate that in addition to self-efficacy, path-goal outcome expectations, strong faculty mentoring and perceived STEM talents were significant predictors of higher STEM persistence plans. Surprisingly, perceived discrimination was associated with higher rather than lower STEM persistence plans, and also moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and STEM persistence plans. The RSCCM and related study findings have important implications for theory, research and practice. First, RSCCM findings have theoretical significance for better understanding the multiple sources of motivation in STEM persistence decisions among Women of Color, especially during advanced stages of career development. Second, findings have important implications for future research to further clarify RSCCM propositions on larger and more diverse samples. Finally, RSCCM findings have policy relevance for informing strengths-based strategies that promote STEM persistence among Women of Color by reinforcing the multiple socio-cognitive motivational strengths that they bring to the BTAA-SROP and other pipeline intervention settings.