Peer Network Effects and Persistence in Pursuit of STEM Higher Education for Underrepresented Groups

Presented at the 2015 National Symposium on Student Retention (November 4, 2015), this poster illuminates the role that gender and ethnic/racial identities play in the formation of peer networks in STEM for underrepresented students of color, with a special investigation of Computer Science majors. Among its findings: ethnic/racial identities, however not gender identities, are proposed as moderators of the attainment and maintenance of STEM peer support networks; STEM undergraduate majors were significantly more likely to credit peer influence in their persistence in STEM than non-STEM majors.

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