Broadening Participation in STEM through SocioTechnical Learning: Exploring the Enabling Role of Normative Social Dimensions in Technical Decisions

The nation’s need for a diverse and competent Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce contributing to economic growth, global competitiveness, and innovation is a primary policy driver for broadening participation in STEM. Yet, social justice and ethics policies dating as far back as the civil rights movement and earlier have not successfully diversified the current STEM workforce nor the STEM higher education system.A gap in the scholarly literature potentially bears upon this problem: when work-based experiences include social learning, the focus of this learning is typically on instrumental skills. However, normative considerations also bear upon work-based experiential learning. Reflecting upon these normative considerations during work-based experiences may enhance students’ agency, motivation, persistence, and retention, which have all been shown to contribute to broadening participation in STEM. Thus, SocioTechnical Learning (STL) may offer an overlooked opportunity for broadening participation. To investigate this possibility, I explore and define STL in three qualitative research studies during the work-based experiences of undergraduate students from underrepresented minorities studying Computing and Information Technology. The studies examine STL during three types of paid work-based experiences: internships, apprenticeships, and as employees. Using the established methodology of Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR), I conduct collaborative dialogs with participants about upcoming work-related decisions and activities. I analyze the results of the STIR dialogs using the midstream modulation framework to assess for reflexive and deliberate changes. Additionally, I analyze and test the efficacy of STIR to serve as a pedagogical intervention that supports STL. Finally, I assess the capacity of STL to broaden participation in STEM. My overall findings illustrate how bringing social and technical learning together in the context of work-based experiential learning has the potential to synergistically broaden participation in STEM. Specifically, STL on the part of the study participants is found to: 1) increase persistence and workforce preparedness and 2) enhance decision making in STEM projects and product development. I show how, during STL, participants draw upon cultural assets to provide value through innovative solutions that contribute to key policy goals and economic drivers to fulfill the need for a diverse, competent workforce that is socially responsible.