Navigating learning ecosystems: Exploring students’ use of agency in marine and environmental sciences

This case study shares feedback from program alumni who are from underrepresented groups in STEM and who participated in either an undergraduate internship program or a Bridge to Ph.D. program designed to broaden participation in the marine and environmental sciences. The internship program was hosted by a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), in partnership with local collaborators who hosted students. The Bridge to Ph.D. program was co-designed by faculty leaders from the HBCU and faculty partners at a primarily White institution (PWI) who hosted the program on their campus. Interviews were conducted one to four years after participation in one of the programs to learn whether students were still involved in the geosciences and to document the ways they used agency to navigate the marine sciences learning ecosystem. Almost all students were still engaged in the marine and environmental sciences, and all were still engaged in STEM fields. The agency included in their stories reiterates themes from the literature and demonstrates a range of successful pathways that can be encouraged and supported by those striving for inclusion in the geosciences. Results are described in relation to the importance of changing the shared social practices utilized within the geosciences to support inclusion, particularly regarding how success is defined.

本案例研究分享了科学、技术、工程与数学（Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM）领域代表性不足群体的项目校友反馈，这些校友均曾参与两类旨在扩大海洋与环境科学领域参与度的项目之一：本科实习项目，或博士预科衔接项目。该实习项目由历史黑人学院与大学（Historically Black College and University, HBCU）主办，并与接收学生的本地合作方联合开展。博士预科衔接项目则由该HBCU的院系负责人与以白人学生为主的院校（Primarily White Institution, PWI）的合作院系共同设计，并由后者在其校园内承办。研究于参与者完成项目1至4年后开展访谈，以了解学生是否仍投身地球科学领域，并记录他们借助主体能动性（agency）适配海洋科学学习生态系统的具体方式。几乎所有学生仍活跃于海洋与环境科学领域，且全部未脱离STEM学科范畴。校友们的叙述中所体现的主体能动性，呼应了现有相关文献中的核心主题，并展现出多类可供地球科学领域包容性建设者加以鼓励与支持的成功发展路径。本研究围绕变革地球科学领域现有共享社会实践以推动包容性建设的重要性展开结果阐述，尤其聚焦于成功定义的变革维度。