Increasing 1st and 2nd Year Retention of STEM Students Through Multifaceted Mentoring, Early STEM Community Integration, and Strengthening of Intersecting STEM Identities.
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Garcia, Ivelitza
Allegheny College
French, Lauren B.
Allegheny College
González, Guadalupe D.S.
Radzilowicz, John G.
Date Issued
October 5, 2026
Abstract
Allegheny College has launched a comprehensive program using multi-faceted advising, rich academic and social programming, early STEM community integration, and numerous resources already available to increase retention and strengthen intersecting STEM identities among high financial need STEM students. Formal assessment in the form of a controlled study was used to compare the experience of the program cohort to a non-intervention comparison peer group in their first two years at Allegheny. We hypothesized that the comprehensive STEM program would lead to increased retention of students in STEM majors and strengthen intersecting STEM identities as compared to the control group. The results of this study support our hypothesis. Additionally, STEM program students’ confidence and academic resilience increased over time.
Journal
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research
Citation
Garcia, I., Lauren B. French, Guadalupe D.S. González, & John G. Radzilowicz. (2026). Increasing 1st and 2nd Year Retention of STEM Students Through Multifaceted Mentoring, Early STEM Community Integration, and Strengthening of Intersecting STEM Identities. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 27(3), Pages 73–81. https://doi.org/10.63504/jstem.v27i3.2835
Publisher
The Institute for STEM Education and Research
DOI
10.63504/jstem.v27i3.2835
ISSN
1557-5284
Rights
Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the Institute for STEM Education and Research with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.
Type of Publication
Journal
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
2026_Garcia_French_Increasing.pdf
Size
4.74 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
3bb48a35a5b17a9761b55eb9abaac945