STEM STUDENT-FACULTY RELATIONSHIPS: THE INFLUENCE OF RACE AND GENDER ON ACCESS TO CAREER-RELATED OPPORTUNITIES

摘要

This study examines how race/ethnicity and gender influence student-faculty relationships, and how such relationships may facilitate or constrain access to career-related opportunities in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) contexts. Through retrospective interviews with 40 STEM graduates working professionally for five or more years in STEM, the data revealed that (1) experiences of racism and sexism among women of color affected their ability to build strong relationships with professors and gain access to career-related opportunities through those connections; (2) white females experienced sexism from faculty, but their white privilege buffered the negative effects associated with their gender and allowed them to form closer connections with faculty; (3) being exposed to diverse faculty facilitated conversations between professors and students of color, as well as faculty and female students, about their career pathways in STEM; and (4) the negative influence of race/ethnicity and gender on student-faculty relationships was alleviated, but not eliminated, through research engagement, which in turn expanded students' access to professional opportunities. Grounded on these findings, we provide recommendations for research and practice.