Research

In collaboration with the Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, this mixed-methods study examines the impact of a field trip experience at one of the museum’s learning labs on racially/ethnically diverse public school students’ STEM interests and career choices and on how ethnic identity might influence this impact. Our team will interview staff and educators to gain an in-depth perspective of how they support youth in their science and racial/ethnic identities. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation (2019-2023).

In partnership with Northwestern University and Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, our team is using mixed methods to investigate how mentoring relationships are related to the science identity of racially/ethnically diverse, low-income middle school students in Science Club. We are examining how adolescents and mentors form relationships in a group mentoring program as well as investigating the natural mentoring relationships that develop between youth and other adults in the program. Adolescents, mentors and parent perspectives are being captured. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation (2019-2024).

The aim of this mixed-methods study is to examine whether and how providing cultural humility and social justice training and ongoing support and supervision to volunteer mentors can change mentors’ attitudes, their interactions with youth of color, and foster positive developmental outcomes for low-income youth of color. Mentor-youth dyads (N=500) will be randomly assigned either to an intervention that includes cultural humility and social justice training and enhanced support or to a control group. Data will be collected from a variety of sources, including mentors, youth, parents and case managers. Quantitative surveys will be administered at multiple time points to assess shifts in mentor cultural humility, social justice and racial attitudes; mentor-youth interactions and youth’s responses to those interactions; mentoring relationship quality; and ultimately youth’s developmental outcomes (e.g., ethnic/racial identity, coping with discrimination). A subset of mentoring dyads, parents and case managers will participate in a longitudinal, qualitative study to explore how the intervention works and to gain an in-depth understanding of the effects of the intervention. Study findings will have implications for adults who work with low-income youth of color in a variety of settings. This study is a collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation (2020-2023).