Isis H. Settles, Ph.D. - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recently, psychologists have increasingly focused their attention on identity centrality - the personal importance that individuals place on their social identities - because central identities are thought to have a greater impact on individuals' well-being than other identities. Race and gender are social identities that may be particularly important because they are part of many people's self-concept. Although some research has established a link between identity centrality and positive psychological well-being for race and gender, it has not explained the underlying mechanisms for this relation. Further, other studies have found no relation. Whether or not a central identity is related to positive well-being may depend on whether it is viewed as providing benefits or obstacles to the individual; that is, it may depend on the perceived functions of the identity. Positive functions (benefits) may include social and emotional support, and a sense of purpose in life; negative functions (obstacles) may include discrimination and alienation. The current studies will explore the possible underlying mechanisms by determining the positive and negative functions that individuals perceive their race and gender identities as providing them (Study 1), developing a measure of these Identity Functions, and evaluating the Identity Functions measure and a model relating identity functions to psychological well-being (Study 2). Study 1 will involve focus groups consisting of separate sessions of White women, White men, African American women, and African American men. Participants will be both college and non-college adults, and they will discuss topics related to the perceived benefits and obstacles associated with their race and gender. Responses from these focus groups will be collected and analyzed using a grounded theory approach which will identify the underlying themes in order to identify dimensions and items for the development of an Identity Functions measure. Study 2 will be undertaken in order to validate this measure and test the model relating identity functions and well-being. Approximately 300 participants will take part in Study 2 (approximately 75 each of White men, White women, African American men, and African American women). Participants will be mailed packets that include the Identity Functions measure and additional measures to validate it and the model, including demographic information, psychological well-being measures, identity centrality scales, and measures of social support and involvement. In addition to contributing to our basic understanding of the functions that central identities may serve and how these functions relate to psychological well-being outcomes, this research has important implications for applied areas of psychology. Further, this research utilizes people of color, who are often excluded in research, and who may find issues of race and gender identity to be especially relevant.

This collaborative research project, involving Michigan State University, the University of North Texas and the University of Michigan, will examine whether epistemic exclusion, a form a scholarly devaluation, may create a barrier to the full inclusion and participation of women and faculty of color in STEM. Epistemic exclusion is the devaluation of certain types of scholarship that occurs when invisible biases in systems of evaluation are coupled with prejudice toward, and negative stereotypes about, historically underrepresented groups. Because faculty members' career outcomes (e.g., promotion, tenure, and turnover intentions) are determined by how well they meet evaluative standards, bias in systems of evaluation that disproportionately harm women and faculty of color may impede their retention and advancement in academia. The project team will create and validate a scale assessing faculty epistemic exclusion.

Results of the project have the potential to benefit society by providing a tool that researchers can use to investigate epistemic exclusion in STEM faculty. Advancing this line of research may result in potential interventions and policy changes at institutions of higher education that improve the retention and promotion of women and underrepresented minority STEM faculty at our nation?s colleges and universities. There is a plan for dissemination to scholarly audiences through peer-reviewed presentation and publications in professional journals that will help inform the research and academic communities.

This project is supported by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. The ECR program supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning and participation. The project was co-funded by the NSF ADVANCE program which supports the implementation of organizational change strategies to address systemic inequities that impact women in STEM faculty careers. The project was also funded by the Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate (AGEP) program, which funds projects designed to advance knowledge about increasing the number of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native American Indians, Native Hawaiians and Native Pacific Islanders in STEM faculty careers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor will collaborate with researchers from Michigan State University to implement an EHR Core Research (ECR) project. The project will study how an inclusive educational and workplace climate can affect academic STEM career outcomes, particularly for early-career individuals from underrepresented groups. The proposers will develop a novel construct of inclusive authorship climate in which intellectual contributions are fully welcomed and valued throughout the research process. The proposers will examine inclusive climate at the levels of the research group, department, and profession, each of which likely shapes career outcomes for underrepresented, early-career STEM scholars. Ultimately, this project will advance understanding of how to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.

The study builds on the organizational theory of Person-Environment Fit (PE Fit) which claims that career outcomes and attitudes are positively affected by having an organizational environment that is congruent with an individual?s needs, skills, and values. The proposers argue that for individuals in STEM from underrepresented groups, 'fit' requires an inclusive climate (i.e., an environment that values differences and makes all feel welcome). The researchers will develop, test and implement a survey of 3,500 graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and assistant professors in four STEM fields for which faculty racial minority representation is low and gender representation is low or moderate: physics, economics, biology, and psychology. Structural equation modeling will quantify differences in the effect of inclusive climate on career outcomes of scholars at three different career stages, in departments with different institutional prestige, and in disciplines with different norms and cultures. An important contribution of this research will be the development of the inclusive authorship climate concept and the development of metrics and survey instruments to measure it.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.