Influences of faculty validation on community college STEM students' persistence and success

This study examined the relationship of student and faculty demographics on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) student success and persistence as mediated by student perceptions of faculty validation. This study will contribute to an understanding of the complex relationships that exist between these variables, an area that has not been previously researched. The data were analyzed through path analysis. Faculty gender was shown to directly influence student perceptions of validation, and student and faculty ethnicity showed direct effects on academic success. Additionally, student perceptions of validation were shown to be a strong predictor of academic success. The results of the study provide researchers and practitioners with details regarding potential in-classroom and out-of-classroom influences on retention and success for community college STEM students, which may lead to the initiation of new faculty development programs.