# Presentation: 685804

## Assessing Scientific Inquiry and Leadership Skills (AScILS)Report to NIGMS Advisory Council January 25, 2008

- Martin M. Chemers, PI
- University of California, Santa Cruz

## Overarching Research Questions

- How do activities implemented by biomedical research career support programs (especially research and mentoring) influence:
- Scientific research skills
- Science team leadership and membership skills
- Beliefs in efficacy and collective efficacy regarding these skills
- Identity as a scientist
- Stage-appropriate educational and career outcomes?
- Are these influences similar for minority and non-minority students?

## Program Components

- Psychological Processes

- Outcomes

- Research Experience

- Community Involvement

- Academic Support

- Financial Support

- _Mentoring_:
- Instrumental
- Socio-Emotional

- _Performance_: ScienceInquiry
- and
- Leadership Skills

- _Commitment_: SatisfactionandContinuationin Science Education and Research

- Student Demographics: Ethnicity, Gender

- {

- Science InquirySelf-Efficacy

- Leadership and Teamwork Self-Efficacy

- Identity and Belonging as a Scientist

## The Research Model

- Theory-Driven
- Interdisciplinary
- Multi-Method

## Brief Overview of Methods

- Qualitative Studies:
- (Assessment of Program Components)
- In-depth interviews (H.S., U.G., & Grad.)
- (Longitudinal Case Studies)
- Retrospective Surveys
- (UCSC Students; COSMOS; SACNAS)
- Performance Assessments
- (Simulations & Mentor Ratings)
- Longitudinal Quantitative Studies

## Today’s Report: Quantitative Survey Studies

- UCSC Undergraduate Retrospective Survey
- SACNAS Retrospective Undergraduate and Graduate/Post-Doc Surveys

## Program Components

- Psychological Processes

- Outcomes

- Research Experience

- Community Involvement

- Academic Support

- Financial Support

- _Mentoring_:
- Instrumental
- Socio-Emotional

- _Performance_: ScienceInquiry
- and
- Leadership Skills

- _Commitment_: SatisfactionandContinuationin Science Education and Research

- Student Demographics: Ethnicity, Gender

- {

- Science InquirySelf-Efficacy

- Leadership and Teamwork Self-Efficacy

- Identity and Belonging as a Scientist

## UCSC Undergraduate Retrospective Survey Population

- All 1095 participants from 14 UCSC science or engineering support programs, 1999/2000 to 2003/2004
- UCSC Science/Engineering majors not in programs during those same years
- Invited 100% of 870 underrepresented minorities
- Invited representative proportion of other ethnic groups: 548 Whites, 191 Asians, 131 Others

## UCSC Undergraduate Retrospective Survey Sample

- 502 (18%) completed survey
- 56% women
- Ethnic background
- 34% URM
- 23% Asian
- 40% White
- 4% Other
- Average age = 23.2 years

## UCSC Undergraduate Retrospective Survey Results

- Community Involvement

- Instrumental Mentoring

- Identity as a Scientist

- Science Inquiry Self-Efficacy

- Commitment

- Research Experience

- .42/.46

- .37/.60

- ns/.23

- .24/ns

- Model Fit: χ2 (15) = 8.60, *p* = .90, CFI = 1.0, IFI = 1.0, GFI = .99,
- NNFI = 1.0, RMR = .03, RMSEA = .00 (.00, .02)

- .31/.25

- .11/.12

- .69/.79

- .52/.52

- .52/.42

- .29/.21

- .16/.15

- Blue (Left) = URM students
- Red (Right) = White students

## SACNAS Undergraduate Retrospective Survey Sample

- 327 completed survey
- 74% Current Undergrads, 26% Recent Grads
- 67% women
- Ethnic Background
- 74% URM
- 14% Asian
- 11% White
- 1% Other
- Average age = 24.06 years

## SACNAS Undergraduate Retrospective Survey Results

- Community Involvement

- Instrumental Mentoring

- Teamwork & Leadership Self-Efficacy

- Identity as a Scientist

- Science Inquiry Self-Efficacy

- Commitment

- Research Experience

- .34

- .53

- .24

- .23

- .17

- .26

- .24

- .29

- .32

- .51

- .10

- Model Fit: χ2 (10) = 22.20, *p* = .01, CFI = .97, IFI = .97, GFI = .98,
- NNFI = .94, RMR = .02, RMSEA = .06 (.03, .10)

## SACNAS Graduate/Post-Doc Retrospective Survey Sample

- 338 completed survey
- 82% Current Graduate Students, 18% Post-Docs
- 63% women
- Ethnic Background
- 86% URM
- 7% Asian
- 6% White
- 1% Other
- Average age = 29.83 years

## SACNAS Graduate/Post-Doc Retrospective Survey Results

-  Research Experience

- Community Involvement

- Instrumental Mentoring

- Teamwork & Leadership Self-Efficacy

- Identity as a Scientist

- Science Inquiry Self-Efficacy

- Commitment

- Professional Experience

- Socioemotional Mentoring

- Model Fit: χ2 (12) = 54.42, *p* < .001, CFI = .96, IFI = .96, GFI = .97,
- NNFI = .87, RMR = .03, RMSEA = .10 (.08, .13)

- .14

- .12

- .16

- .25

- .12

- .12

- .11

- .20

- .23

- .30

- .12

- .49

- .16

- .23

## Summary & Conclusions

- Identity most direct predictor of commitment and performance
- Science inquiry self-efficacy both indirect (through identity) and direct predictor of commitment and performance
- Research, mentoring, and community involvement predict science inquiry self-efficacy and identity

## Implications for Policy and Practice

- Scientific self-efficacy and identity are positively affected by interventions involving research and mentoring.
- Programs should place greater emphasis on these psychological mediators.