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<p>Despite growing equity initiatives, underrepresentation persists in STEMM fields across Canada limiting cognitive diversity. At Dalhousie University, institutional data revealed steep attrition of underrepresented minority (URM) science students from undergraduate to doctoral levels, most acutely among local African Nova Scotian (ANS) and Mi’kmaq populations, underscoring the urgency of addressing STEMM’s <i>leaky pipeline</i>. This study evaluates a novel set of courses (FIGS0021/0022), developed as a first-year intervention to support URM students through the Dalhousie Science Scholars &amp; Leaders Program (DSSLP): Canada’s first community-centred, course-based, longitudinal STEMM equity initiative. The program aims to strengthen students’ academic sense of belonging (ASB), clarify knowledge of the hidden curriculum (KHC), and foster early STEMM career-commitment and professional-identity overlap (STEMM-PIO). Using a mixed-methods design across two cohorts (2023–2025), DSSLP-FIGS students (<i>n</i> = 26) completed validated pre–post surveys incorporating Likert items, demographic questions, and multi-metric instruments to assess eight core competencies. Quantitative inferences (via Welch’s <i>t</i>-tests, Mann–Whitney <i>U</i>-tests, McNemar’s exact test, Chi-square test) assessed changes across four domains. Thematic analysis of student testimonials complemented these findings by capturing perceived competency growth and course impact. Significant improvements (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) were observed in students’ ASB, KHC (including intragraduate, graduate, and post-graduate knowledge domains), and STEMM-PIO. Additionally, ANS-identifying students were more likely to report meaningful faculty connections than non-participant peers. The findings affirm the DSSLP-FIGS courses as an effective intervention for improving early STEMM outcomes among URM students. By integrating adaptive pedagogy and leadership development, the program offers a comprehensive model for advancing equity in Canadian STEMM higher-education.</p>

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Addressing STEMM’s Leaky Pipeline: Evaluating a Novel Equity-Focused, Course-Based Academic Model for Underrepresented Minority First-Year Students

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Eshan Arora,
  • Wateen Sadek,
  • Joseph P. Bielawski

摘要

Despite growing equity initiatives, underrepresentation persists in STEMM fields across Canada limiting cognitive diversity. At Dalhousie University, institutional data revealed steep attrition of underrepresented minority (URM) science students from undergraduate to doctoral levels, most acutely among local African Nova Scotian (ANS) and Mi’kmaq populations, underscoring the urgency of addressing STEMM’s leaky pipeline. This study evaluates a novel set of courses (FIGS0021/0022), developed as a first-year intervention to support URM students through the Dalhousie Science Scholars & Leaders Program (DSSLP): Canada’s first community-centred, course-based, longitudinal STEMM equity initiative. The program aims to strengthen students’ academic sense of belonging (ASB), clarify knowledge of the hidden curriculum (KHC), and foster early STEMM career-commitment and professional-identity overlap (STEMM-PIO). Using a mixed-methods design across two cohorts (2023–2025), DSSLP-FIGS students (n = 26) completed validated pre–post surveys incorporating Likert items, demographic questions, and multi-metric instruments to assess eight core competencies. Quantitative inferences (via Welch’s t-tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests, McNemar’s exact test, Chi-square test) assessed changes across four domains. Thematic analysis of student testimonials complemented these findings by capturing perceived competency growth and course impact. Significant improvements (p < 0.001) were observed in students’ ASB, KHC (including intragraduate, graduate, and post-graduate knowledge domains), and STEMM-PIO. Additionally, ANS-identifying students were more likely to report meaningful faculty connections than non-participant peers. The findings affirm the DSSLP-FIGS courses as an effective intervention for improving early STEMM outcomes among URM students. By integrating adaptive pedagogy and leadership development, the program offers a comprehensive model for advancing equity in Canadian STEMM higher-education.