Belonging in general chemistry predicts first-year undergraduates' performance and attrition
Belonging in general chemistry predicts first-year undergraduates' performance and attrition
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DOI：
10.1039/d0rp00053a
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发表时间：
2020-10-01
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Solomon, Erin D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fink, Angela;Frey, Regina F.;Solomon, Erin D.
在学习环境中感受到归属感可以对学生的成功产生积极的影响。这一心理社会变量对本科生成绩和保留率的影响已在STEM学科中得到证明，特别是对于物理科学中的女性，其中性别代表性存在巨大差异。目前的研究探讨了归属感和本科化学学生的成功之间的关系，其中最近出现了更大的性别平等。特别是，本研究调查的归属感的一年级学生参加了两个学期的普通化学课程序列。本研究首先考察学生在课程中的早期归属感，由两个调查指标（感知归属感，归属感不确定性）的变化取决于他们的人口统计和学术准备。归属措施，然后被用来作为一般化学1和2和磨损从一个学期到下一个性能的预测。在其他STEM学科的研究中，结果显示，女性学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的少数群体的学生，在课程的第一周内报告的归属感较低，不确定性高于男性学生。在考虑了人口统计学、准备和参加课程补充计划后，归属感指标预测了所有学生的表现和流失。这些研究结果表明，普通化学课程的归属感可以对学生的成功产生实际影响，归属感的早期差异可能会对女性和其他在STEM中代表性不足的群体的保留产生下游影响。讨论了创造一个包容性和参与性的环境，支持所有学生的成功的战略。
Feeling a sense of belonging in a learning environment can have positive effects on student success. The impact of this psychosocial variable on undergraduates' achievement and retention has been demonstrated in STEM disciplines, especially for women within physical sciences where large disparities in gender representation persist. The current study explores the relationship between belonging and student success in undergraduate chemistry, where greater gender parity has recently emerged. In particular, this research investigates the belonging of first-year students enrolled in a two-semester General Chemistry course sequence. The study begins by examining whether students' early sense of belonging in the course, indexed by two survey measures (perceived belonging, belonging uncertainty) varies depending on their demographics and academic preparation. The belonging measures are then used as predictors of performance in General Chemistry 1 and 2 and attrition from one semester to the next. Paralleling research in other STEM disciplines, the results show that female students, especially those from underrepresented minority groups, reported lower belonging and higher uncertainty than male students within the first weeks of the course. After accounting for demographics, preparation, and participation in a course supplemental program, the belonging measures predicted performance and attrition for all students. These findings suggest that course-level belonging in General Chemistry can have practical consequences for student success, and early disparities in belonging may have downstream effects on the retention of women and other groups underrepresented in STEM. Strategies for creating an inclusive and engaging environment that supports the success of all students are discussed.