Chapter 7: American Indian/Alaska Native Graduate Student Experience in STEM: Conceptual Perspectives¹

The purpose of this chapter is to offer an alternative perspective for the critical analysis and study of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)² graduate student experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM). We propose a new conceptual model that takes a sociological approach to better understand the conditions, structures, and experiences AI/AN students navigate for degree attainment in STEM. Our supposition is organized as a model (see Figure 7.1) that integrates multiple theories in order to further understanding about the graduate student experience of AI/ANs and to further understanding about the process of socialization and its influence on commitment to cultural integrity, professional identity and role acquisition in a STEM field.