Work in progress — Social barriers and supports to underrepresented minorities´ success in STEM fields

The present study builds upon previous research by exploring social barriers that limit URMs´ success-not just Black and Latino men-as well as social supports that enable the success of those who succeed academically in STEM fields. For the purposes of this study, “success” is defined as (a) persisting in college as a STEM major and (b) maintaining a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). The primary methods of data collection were semi-structured one-on-one and group interviews with 38 URMs majoring in STEM. Three major themes were identified as barriers: (a) Negative perceptions/stereotypes of people of color (b) Lack of same-race peers in classes/labs and (c) Negative interactions in the classroom. Two themes were identified as supports: (a) URM faculty who served as mentors/conduits and (b) sociocultural and spiritual resources. Findings hold significant promise for future practice, policy, and research.