GSE/RES Learning Companions as Change Agents: Improving Girls' Self-efficacy Beliefs in Learning Math

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Utah State University is investigating the educational potential of virtual peers to change girls' negative self-images and attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), moving them in a desirable direction. The virtual peers, called pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs), may encourage and persuade girls to increase their belief of self-efficacy in learning math and to build more positive attitudes toward pursuing careers in STEM.Research indicates that girls' negative views of the fields of STEM are often due to social and cultural influences. Family, schools, and media are likely to impose stereotypic role expectations on girls and infuse girls with ideal "Barbie doll" images of girls. As a result, many girls tend to identify STEM as masculine and doubt their ability to compete. Girls need to be exposed to social environments that will encourage them to overcome ungrounded social stereotypes and build constructive views of their competency in STEM. Although the stereotypic views of family, teachers, or friends cannot be immediately changed or influenced, girl-friendly virtual social environments can be created to help girls build positive attitudes toward STEM. The project will 1) investigate the effectiveness of PALs in facilitating girls' self-confidence and efficacy in learning math and 2) investigate the characteristics of PALs critical to that end. To reach the goals, a three-year research agenda is planned. In the first year, the project will focus on the effects of the gender and age of PALs. The research will investigate whether gender (male vs. female) and age (adult vs. peer) are related to girls' choices of PALs as their learning partners and, subsequently, girls' self-efficacy and attitude change. In the second year, the project will focus on the effects of the competency and ethnicity of PALs. The research will be an investigation of whether PALs' competency (strong vs. weak) and ethnicity (Caucasian vs. Hispanic) have an impact on Caucasian and Hispanic girls' choices of PALs as their learning partners and, subsequently, girls' self-efficacy and attitude change. In the third year, the project will concentrate on the effects of the feedback type and emotion of PALs. The research will be an investigation of whether PALs' feedback type (harsh vs. nice) and emotion (empathetic vs. non-empathetic) will have an impact on girls' attribution of their success and failure, their self-efficacy, and their feelings of affability with PALs. The research questions will be answered using a quasi-experimental design and both quantitative and qualitative data. The sample will include approximately 200 9th-grade girls in required algebra I classes in public high schools in large and mid-size cities in a mountain-west state of the USA.Intellectual MeritFirst, unlike most technology-based interventions that have been focused on the cognitive aspect of learning, this project is geared toward the affective aspect of girls' math learning. This project will identify how PALs can be used to effect girls' math self-efficacy and positive attitude toward learning math. Second, PALs are a special subset of pedagogical agents and are grounded on findings from human-peer interaction research. This project will identify the specific characteristics of PALs that might affect girls' math self-efficacy and attitudes. Third, PAL-based interventions will be implemented in ordinary classrooms regularly throughout the semester. This project will provide classroom-based evidence on the educational value of PALs in K-12 settings and implications for long-term use.Broader ImpactsThe project is conducted through the collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary team and so will yield implications for multiple communities, such as researchers in women/gender education, STEM education in general, educational technology, human/computer interaction, and artificial intelligence in education.If found to be effective, PALs are potentially an efficient and cost-effective intervention to re-shape girls' STEM beliefs and attitudes, compared to human-mentoring programs. Through classroom implementation, the project has implications for PALs' role for improving Caucasian and minority girls' math self-efficacy and attitudes. The influential characteristics of PALs for PAL/learner relations identified in the project will provide implications for research on human relations as well as on human/computer interactions.