Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program       mcnair





McNair is a federal TRIO program funded at 194 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Education in honor of Ronald E. McNair, the astronaut killed aboard the U.S. Challenger space shuttle. Dr. McNair excelled in academics and because of his many achievements the program was created to prepare underrepresented (minority, first generation, or low-income) undergraduate students for doctoral studies through research involvement and scholarly activities. The McNair program aims to increase the amount of graduate degrees awarded to those students who identify with an underrepresented group within our society.

McNair scholar's work with a professor of their choice over the summer on a research project, complete a research paper, poster, and PowerPoint which is presented at a conference and the University of Arizona's Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program Colloquia. More information can be found at http://grad.arizona.edu/mcnair/




Top Ten Things McNair Did for Me:




  1. Introduced me to a great cultural lab ran by Prof. Stephanie Fryberg, PhD that led to me being a published undergrad :)
  2. Prepared me for graduate school in every way possible! Admission process, application process, funding, personal statement, etc.
  3. Helped me to complete the GRE
  4. Gave me 9 life-long friends
  5. Research experience
  6. Presentation and speaking skills
  7. Confidence that I'm a great student that can do anything!
  8. Made me a scholar
  9. A body of research I can use for life
  10. A loving, caring, and supportive academic family




18th Annual California
    McNair Symposium: Berkeley, California

cali   mcnair




Annual Graduate College Summer Research Conference 2010

me  Poster showcased my research:  " Color Me Bad": The Role of an Entity Theory of Intelligence in Prediciting Disruptive Classroom Behavior for Ethnic Minority Students.


fatemma  My friend and fellow McNair schloar Fatemma with her research poster: “Reflecting Back on My
Education”: The Educational Narratives of Mexican-
American Female College Students




My Research...

Abstract From Color Me Bad: The Role of an Entity Theory of Intelligence in Prediciting Disruptive Classroom Behavior for Ethnic Minority Students

Past research shows that endorsing an entity theory of intelligence, a belief that intelligence is a “fixed” trait, is related to decreased academic performance (Henderson & Dweck, 1990). The belief that one’s intellectual ability is fixed coupled with the persistent negative stereotype that one’s social group is intellectually inferior, a stereotype that ethnic minority students (e.g., Native American, African American, Latino American) often confront in the academic domain (Steele, 1997),  may encourage ethnic minority students to perceive themselves as not “good” students. This negative self-perception, in turn, may lead to disruptive classroom behavior (i.e., throwing temper tantrums, talking back, or bullying) that further undermines academic performance. The present study examines the role that an entity orientation plays in predicting disruptive classroom behavior for ethnic minority students. Ethnic minority (N=73) and European American (N=19) elementary school students (grades 3-5) completed measures of entity orientation (Dweck, 1999). Teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1992) for each student.  Analyses revealed that ethnic minority students reported higher entity orientation than European American students, but groups did not differ in terms of disruptive behavior. Moreover, higher entity scores were related to more disruptive classroom behavior for ethnic minority students, but not for European American students. These findings suggest that endorsing a fixed belief about intelligence negatively impacts classroom behavior for students who encounter negative stereotypes about their intelligence in the academic domain.