What about us? exploring the challenges and sources of support influencing black students⇔ STEM identity development in postsecondary education

Drawing from the experiences of 14 Black students participating in a structured undergraduate research program at either an historically Black university or a predominantly White institution, the authors conducted a secondary data analysis on interview and journal prompt data using Yosso’s community cultural wealth framework to identify sources of capital for, and challenges to, STEM identity formation. This current undertaking is seen as a direct response to what works, in regards to the practices and conduits that directly influence the preparation and recruitment of Black students into STEM majors. This has noteworthy implications for the role that educators and other members of Black students’ communities contribute to their acquisition of cultural capital and subsequently how they develop STEM identities.