Examining Underrepresented Minority STEM Faculty Members’ Motivation for Research

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Underrepresented minority (URM) university faculty can be identified as those whose representation based on gender, race, and/or ethnicity in particular fields, such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), are smaller than in the US population. Studies on URM faculty have found discrimination and affiliated stress impact faculty in many aspects of their work, such as performance in research. In the current study, we examined STEM faculty who self-identify as URM, their experiences of workplace discrimination, and how these encounters affect their self-determined motivation to conduct research. Six-hundred and fifty-one faculty from 10 US institutions completed an online survey. Of the participants, 37.5% self-identified as URM, of which 81% were women, 20% non-white, and 6% Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity; notably, the data shows that 24% of women and 56% of non-white faculty did not self-identify as URM. More than 87% of URM reported workplace bias, which correlated with significantly lower autonomy and relatedness with coworkers. URM women reported gender discrimination at work was common and upsetting, which related to greater amotivation. Non-white and Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish URM who reported high success in research also cited more discrimination. URM faculty motivation was fostered by autonomy and competence, and much more by relatedness compared to non-URM faculty. For non-URM, autonomous motivation (enjoyment, value) positively related to research success, whereas for URM faculty a lack of introjected motivation (guilt) was the strongest predictor. Discussion focuses on implications for future studies of faculty motivation and strategies to promote URM faculty research productivity.