Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Paul Hernandez

Committee Co-Chair

Karen Rambo-Hernandez

Committee Member

Karen Rambo-Hernandez

Committee Member

Natalie Shook

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students’ university sense of belonging mediates the relationship between mentor network diversity and students’ interest development among undergraduate women in STEM majors. The sample for this study was consisted of 277 undergraduate women majoring in a STEM discipline with initial interests in geosciences across nine universities within the United States. A regression-based mediation analysis was performed using the Hayes’ (2013) macro to test the indirect effect of mentor support on interest through university sense of belonging. Consistent with our hypothesis, the analysis revealed a statistically significant and positive indirect effect of the mentor network diversity on interest in geoscience through university sense of belonging, a×b = .04, 95% CI = [.01,.08]. More specifically, the mentor network diversity positively predicts university sense of belonging (B = 0.19, p

Share

COinS