AN ECOLOGICAL MODEL TO THE ECOLOGY OF BRIDGE PROGRAMS: POSITIVE STRUCTURES FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT, RECRUITMENT, AND RETENTION IN STEM

Bridge programs (BPs) demonstrate a positive impact on students and their pursuit of STEM. For BPs to be implemented in other areas, it is helpful to know what is needed to make them effective. Thus, the research question motivating the present study is: Why and how do bridge programs have the positive impact they do on students, particularly underrepresented minorities, first generation students, and females?

To answer this question, we utilize the methodology of an integrative literature review and adopt a socio-ecological systems model for the theoretical framework. The model situates students’ interactions in their environment, where race/ethnicity and gender are integral to educational experiences. The model is built on the concepts of microsystems (student-centered factors) and macrosystems (external factors). They form the initial categories for the coding manual developed to analyze the peer-reviewed literature with subcategories stemming from the literature.

One hundred articles were found in ERIC (ProQuest) and Google Scholar using the following search terms: bridge program, high school, and science. An article met the inclusion criteria when explicitly focusing on: STEM, transition from high school to college, minority students, practices in successful bridge programs, and/or recruitment into STEM. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria with pearling yielding another 15.

Our integrative literature review yielded two predominant themes. Self-efficacy (microsystem) grows through BPs reducing anxiety, establishing realistic college expectations, “soft skill” development, and reinforcement of STEM as a career pathway. Relatedly, relationships (macrosystem) with professors, undergraduates, and fellow participants construct a sense of belonging. 55% of BPs had a URM population of 61–100%, 40% were between 85–100% first generation students, and female students made up >55% of participants. We perceive sense of belonging is positively derived from relationship building, instilling personal skills, and the belief STEM is omni-accessible.

Overall, cultural barriers to post-secondary education are as significant as academic ones, and an influx of diverse candidates will enhance the geosciences by providing a pool of candidates to retain and elevate within the discipline.