UCLA

Scholarship suggests that science self-efficacy and science identity are associated with improved experiences and outcomes of postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students, especially those who are underrepresented within these fields. Yet, Southeast Asian students have largely been excluded from this scholarly discourse. This exclusion has been driven by the reporting of enrollment and degree attainment data that aggregates nearly 48 Asian American & Pacific Islander ethnic groups which has perpetually obscured the unique dispositions and experiences of Southeast Asian students. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the development of science self-efficacy and science identity of Southeast Asian STEM students during their first year of college. Additionally, this study compared Southeast Asian students with their AAPI peers to illuminate and underscore the unique experiences of these students.

This study utilized four years of longitudinal data between 2016-2020 from the Higher Education Research Institute’s CIRP Freshman Survey and Your First College Year Survey, two surveys that were respectively administered at the start and end of students’ first college year. Guided by a conceptual framework that synthesized Lent and colleagues’ social cognitive career theory, Carlone and Johnson’s science identity model, and Yosso’s community cultural wealth, this study first sought to explore differences between Southeast Asian students and their AAPI peers across various pre-college characteristics and experiences. Next, this study examined changes in science self-efficacy and science identity of Southeast Asian students and investigated if and how these changes differed from their AAPI peers. This study concluded with inferential analyses aimed at unpacking predictors that were most salient for science self-efficacy and science identity development of Southeast Asian students.

Results from this study suggest that Southeast Asian students entered college with statistically significant differences in their socioeconomic and generational statuses when compared to their AAPI peers. Furthermore, findings indicated that while Southeast Asian students maintained their confidence in completing science-related tasks during their first year of college, their identity as a scientist decreased significantly. Lastly, various environmental influences and learning experiences emerged as salient predictors of science self-efficacy and science identity development for Southeast Asian students. Overall, these findings suggest that preparing Southeast Asian students to become future STEM professionals and leaders requires the acknowledgment of a distinct sociopolitical history that heavily influences how Southeast Asian students learn and make decisions about college, how their community cultural assets strengthen their adjustment to and experiences in college, and the types of environments that bolster their science self-efficacy and science identity development.