Author(s):
Female and Hispanic students who are underrepresented in STEM face more educational barriers than their non-Hispanic, male peers. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of intersectional identities in the STEM space. The PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies organizes a paid, interdisciplinary, team-based, experiential learning and internship program called the Green Teams that occurs during 10 weeks of the summer. The Green Teams Program strives to provide undergraduate students from all backgrounds–academically, economically, and demographically–an opportunity to develop their abilities in STEM fields and prepare them to enter the professional world. Based upon a survey given post-internship, self-reported learning gains for all students were analyzed to determine if the program had a significantly greater impact on students who are from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM in their STEM-related learning gains and their confidence in STEM disciplines. Through t-tests, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and a 2-way factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Hispanic and female participants were found to report significantly higher learning gains than their counterparts in multiple STEM areas from increased tolerance for obstacles to gains in self confidence. The results of the study suggest Hispanic and female students benefit from paid work experiences in STEM with diverse peers and intentional, supportive mentoring. The findings may help to further guide the development of the Green Teams Program and the adoption of paid, interdisciplinary, team-based, experiential learning and internship experiences in additional academic STEM settings.
