Quinn Joann Farrell, Cola Philip A, Cooper Melissa, Miller Casey
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, United States of America.
Department of Design and Innovation, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 2;20(9):e0328308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328308. eCollection 2025.
The underrepresentation of women and minority students in STEMM graduate programs remain a significant challenge, compounded by biases in traditional admissions processes and barriers to effective mentoring and retention. This study develops and validates the Quinn Miller Competency Assessment (QMCA), a tool designed to assess emotional and social intelligence (ESI) competencies crucial for STEMM graduate student success. The QMCA was created through an iterative process involving literature review, expert consultations, and empirical studies. It evaluates five key competencies: self-awareness, self-control, adaptability, achievement orientation, and teamwork. The tool's validity and reliability were tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on diverse samples of STEMM graduate students and applicants. Results demonstrated strong construct validity and reliability and invariance across gender and race/ethnicity supporting the QMCA's use in both admissions and student development contexts, in conjunction with other measures. By enabling a more holistic evaluation of applicants' competencies through an assessment that fairly and consistently evaluates individuals across demographic groups, the QMCA aims to improve access and retention for underrepresented groups in STEMM fields, fostering a more inclusive and diverse scientific community. Future research will specifically explore how the QMCA can enhance holistic evaluation processes and contribute to student retention and success efforts. Additionally, we will test its applicability across broader disciplines.
女性和少数族裔学生在STEMM研究生项目中的代表性不足仍然是一个重大挑战，传统招生过程中的偏见以及有效指导和留用方面的障碍使这一挑战更加复杂。本研究开发并验证了奎因·米勒能力评估（QMCA），这是一种旨在评估对STEMM研究生成功至关重要的情商和社交能力（ESI）的工具。QMCA是通过一个迭代过程创建的，该过程包括文献综述、专家咨询和实证研究。它评估五个关键能力：自我意识、自我控制、适应能力、成就导向和团队合作。使用探索性和验证性因素分析对STEMM研究生和申请人的不同样本测试了该工具的有效性和可靠性。结果表明，该工具具有很强的结构效度、可靠性以及跨性别和种族/族裔不变性，支持在招生和学生发展背景下结合其他措施使用QMCA。通过公平、一致地评估不同人群的个人能力，QMCA能够对申请人的能力进行更全面的评估，旨在改善STEMM领域中代表性不足群体的入学机会和留用率，培育一个更具包容性和多样性的科学界。未来的研究将具体探索QMCA如何加强全面评估过程，并为学生留用和成功做出贡献。此外，我们将测试其在更广泛学科中的适用性。
