Chavez Yolanda, Grineski Sara, Adkins Daniel, Avondet Callie, Collins Timothy, Morales Danielle
Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
School of Environment, Society and Sustainability, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2025 Jun 1;24(2):ar25. doi: 10.1187/cbe.24-05-0141.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate researchers (UGRs) work under the direction of faculty mentors. Many also work with postgraduate mentors, either graduate students or postdoctoral personnel, but little is known about how these mentors shape student experiences. Using original survey data from 516 participants across 78 National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Sites in Summer 2022, we find that 44% of students had a postgraduate mentor. Our multivariable multilevel analyses of UGRs with postgraduate mentors ( = 229) revealed that having a different gender identity than one's postgraduate mentor, having a competent postgraduate mentor, having a graduate student mentor, and spending more than 26 weekly hours with a postgraduate mentor were associated with greater science identity, personal, and intellectual gains. Matching with one's postgraduate mentor based on racial identity was associated with greater science identity gains. We also find that Hispanic and multiracial/other race students gained more compared with their White peers, and transgender and gender nonconforming students gained less compared with their men peers. Because the attributes and behaviors of postgraduate mentors are integral to undergraduate research experiences, analysts and practitioners should treat postgraduate mentorship as an essential part of the undergraduate research enterprise.
科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）专业的本科研究者（UGRs）在教师导师的指导下开展工作。许多人还与研究生导师合作，这些导师可以是研究生或博士后人员，但对于这些导师如何塑造学生的经历，我们知之甚少。利用2022年夏季来自78个国家科学基金会本科生研究站点的516名参与者的原始调查数据，我们发现44%的学生有研究生导师。我们对有研究生导师的本科研究者（n = 229）进行的多变量多层次分析表明，与研究生导师性别不同、有能力的研究生导师、有研究生导师以及每周与研究生导师相处超过26小时，都与更强的科学认同感、个人和智力收获相关。基于种族身份与研究生导师匹配与更强的科学认同感收获相关。我们还发现，与白人同龄人相比，西班牙裔和多种族/其他种族的学生收获更多，而与男性同龄人相比，跨性别和性别不符合规范的学生收获更少。由于研究生导师的特质和行为是本科研究经历不可或缺的一部分，分析人员和从业者应将研究生指导视为本科研究事业的重要组成部分。
