Identify critical incidents that influence the self-efficacy of African American women choosing STEM careers

Abstract

Research and legislative initiatives in the United States indicate a need to produce more graduates in the field of STEM to meet a global demand. The U.S. Department of Education has launched initiatives to fill this gap through policy, funding, business and academic partnering strategies. African American women are under-represented in the field of STEM. It is critical that government and academic institutions determine how to fill this gap using a group of people that have been notably under-represented in this field. This study determined the critical incidents that influenced self-efficacy of an African American women to pursue a career in STEM. Uncovering these critical incidents can lead to business and industry filling the gap and meeting a global demand of producing more STEM graduates. The study contributes to the knowledge of this existing problem. An interview was conducted from a sample at Gateway Technical College in Racine, Wisconsin. The sample was interviewed, and the study uncovered critical incidents that influence the self-efficacy of African American women to pursue a career in STEM. The critical incidents were math self-efficacy, family and academic advising support, and future-self visualization.