# The Gift It Forward Study

**Source**: https://bsp.berkeley.edu/about/data-research/publications-reports/gift-it-forward-study
**Parent**: https://bsp.berkeley.edu/about/data-publications/publications-reports

## Defying the Statistics

***Gift It Forward*** was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-funded online longitudinal study of University of California Berkeley undergraduates who were current members of the Biology Scholars Program. Participants ranged from 18 to 32 years old (Mage=18 yrs). They were:

- ***primarily female (71%)***
- ***non-white (49.5% Mexican American/Chicano, 22.2% Asian American/Asian, 15% African American, 10.6% White/Caucasian, and 2.2% Native American/Native Alaskan)***
- ***first-generation college students***

Analysis of the BSP's participation data from 2015 and 2016 showed that being active in program events positively related to higher scientific efficacy (r=0.41, p<0.001) and higher scientific identity (r=0.28, p<0.05), but did not likely relate to endorsing community values. 

A focus group of nine undergraduates was conducted to investigate these findings further. The group consisted of:

- ***4 BSP members***
- ***7 females, 2 males***
- ***8 intended to attend graduate school in a STEM field***
- ***7 identified as Hispanic/Latino, 7 identified as Asian/Asian-American***

The focus group indicated they strongly felt that a sense of community was important to their persistence in STEM. They expressed that having a small STEM community within the institution helped them feel they belonged in STEM and made them feel passionate about their major.

The group also indicated that explaining and discussing their work with peers in a small community setting, like the BSP provides, increased their confidence to accomplish the work required in their field (science efficacy).

## Study Participants

If you have questions or comments, please e-mail **Mica Estrada** or **Lilibeth Watson** directly:

- Mica Estrada: [mica.estrada@ucsf.edu](mailto:mica.estrada@ucsf.edu)
- Lilibeth Watson: [lilibeth.watson@ucsf.edu](mailto:lilibeth.watson@ucsf.edu)

## Lilibeth Watson

## Related Information

- [A Longitudinal Study of the Biology Scholars Program: Maintaining Student Integration and Intention to Persist in Science Career Pathways\](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/publications/2019_estradaetal_9884-a-longitudinal-study-of-the-biology-scholars-program-maintaining-student-integration-and-intention-to-persist-in-science-career-pathways.pdf)*Mica Estrada, Andrew Eppig, Lilibeth Flores, John Matsui | 2019 UI Journal*

- [Examining the Power of Community to Increase Persistence in Science](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/slides2016euss_estrada_flores-watson_examining-the-power-of-community-to-increase-persistence-in-science.pdf)\
  *Mica Estrada & Lilibeth Watson | 2016 EUSS Conference Presentation*
- [Why does BSP Work? The Gift It Forward Study & Lessons for Institutional Change](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/publications/why-does-bsp-work-gift-it-forward-study-lessons-institutional-change)\
  *Mica Estrada & Lilibeth Watson | 2017 EUSS Conference Presentation*

## Questions?

We want to hear from you. Visit our [Contact Us](https://bsp.berkeley.edu/our-team/contact-us) page for more information on how to get in touch!