Racializing Motivation: A Race-Reimaged Framework of Belonging, Emoting, and Achieving Within STEM Higher Education Contexts

Abstract There is limited motivation research focusing on the experiences of racially marginalized students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) higher education. Additionally, much of the existing research on motivation for racially marginalized students in STEM has employed a race-evasive approach, which is inadequate in understanding the complex experiences of racially/ethnically diverse populations. Our goal is to discuss the necessity of race-reimaging motivational interactions among constructs such as belonging, emoting, and achieving within STEM higher education by presenting a race-focused metatheoretical framework, the Race-Reimaged Systems Model of Belonging, Emoting, and Achieving. This framework enables the examination of interrelated relationships among social-cultural-historical constructs within STEM education contexts in the United States (U.S.), while focusing on the experiences of racially marginalized students. We conclude with implications for conducting race-reimaged motivation research in STEM, including in politically charged contexts.