Purpose

While previous research has examined the effectiveness of peer mentoring from the mentee's perspective, more research is needed to uncover how and why the interplay of the peer-mentoring relationship in a virtual format, especially for racial and ethnic minority (REM) women in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) seeking a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree, impacts STEM success. This study seeks to address weaknesses in the mentoring literature by presenting a thorough and thick description of the peer mentoring experience for REM women in HBCU pursuing STEM degrees.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-site case study approach (Yin, 2014) was employed to explore to what extent, if at all, and how did participating in the virtual STEM peer-mentoring experience influence peer mentees' STEM beliefs, interests, skills and behaviors.

Findings

Findings demonstrated that the experiences of undergraduate REM women mentees supported engagement in virtual STEM peer mentoring as it was beneficial to developing a sense of belonging, enhancing interest in STEM, encouraging STEM identity, building STEM self-efficacy and, ultimately, promoting STEM persistence. The current study provides a rich picture of how and why peer mentoring is perceived as effective by mentees in STEM programs at HBCUs.

Originality/value

The findings from this study contribute greatly to the body of knowledge and will serve as a foundational model on which future VSTEM PM relationships can be built and fostered among other HBCUs, with the potential to broaden participation in STEM.

中文翻译：

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为种族和少数民族女性学员提供虚拟 STEM 同伴指导体验的案例

目的

虽然之前的研究已经从被指导者的角度检查了同伴指导的有效性，但还需要更多的研究来揭示虚拟形式中同伴指导关系如何以及为何相互作用，特别是对于历史上黑人中的种族和少数族裔 (REM) 女性寻求科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 学位的学院和大学 (HBCU) 会影响 STEM 的成功。本研究旨在通过对 HBCU 中追求 STEM 学位的 REM 女性的同伴指导经验进行全面而详尽的描述，来解决指导文献中的弱点。

设计/方法/方法

采用多站点案例研究方法（Yin，2014）来探索参与虚拟 STEM 同伴指导体验在多大程度上（如果有的话）以及如何影响同伴学员的 STEM 信念、兴趣、技能和行为。

调查结果

研究结果表明，本科 REM 女性学员的经历支持参与虚拟 STEM 同伴指导，因为这有利于培养归属感、增强对 STEM 的兴趣、鼓励 STEM 认同、建立 STEM 自我效能并最终促进 STEM 的坚持。当前的研究提供了丰富的画面，说明在 HBCU 的 STEM 项目中，同伴指导如何以及为什么被学员认为是有效的。

原创性/价值

这项研究的结果对知识体系有很大贡献，并将作为一个基础模型，在此基础上可以在其他 HBCU 之间建立和培养未来的 VSTEM PM 关系，并有可能扩大 STEM 的参与度。