The online identity development of Indo-Caribbean women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

Abstract

The severe lack of systematically collected race-based data in Canada contributes to the Canadian field of education’s failure to meet the needs of its increasingly diverse demographic of students, resulting in their continued discrimination and oppression. To contribute to the knowledge of the strategies that may be harmful in mitigating these harmful effects, this study conducts an assets-based exploration of the identity development of six Indo-Caribbean women in STEM through the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality and equity, and phenomenological, narrative, and participatory research methodologies. Findings suggest that online communities provide participants numerous educational STEM supports that their institutions failed to provide them. Findings also suggest that the incorporation of racial, cultural, and ethnic identity into STEM education is a protective factor for the participants. Participants provide many recommendations regarding STEM capital development within online communities, many of which are consistent with existing literature.