Developing an Indigenous Mentoring Program; Training Faculty to Mentor American Indian Graduate Students in STEM

In order to increase graduation rates of American Indain and Alaska Native doctoral candidates in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, a culturally attuned mentorship program needs to be developed. This research project uses a conversational method of Indigenous research that privileges relationships and lived experiences to inform such a program. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews using a conversational guide and initial themes were deliberated and refined into a coding framework that was subsequently applied to the data. The themes that emerged from the research include relationality, cultural humility, Indigenous worldviews, suggestions for activities, and resources/support. These themes established the framework for an Indigenous mentoring program (IMP) for faculty mentors of AI/AN graduate students in STEM at four 4-year institutions and a tribal college. A discussion, conclusion and future research is expanded upon.