Self-Efficacy and Student Characteristics as Predictors of Success for Supplemental Instruction Programs in Undergraduate Chemistry Education

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Chemistry (12)Intellectual Merit. Supplemental Instruction (SI) has a long history of increasing student success rates in courses traditionally considered some of the most difficult in higher education. Although the success of SI programs nationwide has been lauded in the literature, the questions that remain unanswered are: i) whether the improvement in student success is a result of self-selection rather than the attributes of the SI program itself, ii) whether SI programs are equally successful for all groups of students, and iii) whether participation in SI results in increased success in subsequent courses and retention within STEM majors. Therefore, using an already established SI Program, the specific objectives of this project are to: 1) Determine whether the success of SI programs is a result of self-selection by the students, 2) Evaluate the variables which can be utilized to predict the degree of success of the SI program for a particular student, and 3) Assess the effect of the SI program on student success in subsequent courses offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and retention of the students within STEM majors. The first objective is being addressed by the widespread distribution and results analysis of both a general self-efficacy survey and a chemistry self-efficacy survey, which measure a student's perception of his/her ability to achieve a specific learning outcome. General self-efficacy surveys are currently available, and a chemistry self-efficacy survey has been created specifically for use in this investigation. The second objective is being addressed by evaluating the success of the SI program in each of the courses with respect to grade point average, the number of students receiving a grade of D, F, or W in the class (the DFW rate), gender, ethnicity, desired major, mathematics background, SAT or ACT scores, and status as a first-generation student. The third objective is being addressed by a longevity study where the success of each student is tracked through the subsequent chemistry and biochemistry courses and the retention of the students within STEM majors is monitored. Broader Impacts. The state of Texas will, over the next few decades, see tremendous growth in population, and the overall population will be less educated unless current trends are altered. The "Closing the Gaps" initiative, designed to increase the participation rate in higher education, has resulted in large increases in enrollment at Texas State University-San Marcos. Enrollment in lower-division courses within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, a department that already serves a large (~24%) Hispanic population, continues to increase; however, the DFW rate for first generation students in general, and minority students in particular, is alarmingly high. An increase in the success rate of students completing the first two years of the chemistry curriculum will bolster the university's ability to produce an educated population, particularly in the STEM programs. Furthermore, Texas State University-San Marcos educates more K-12 teachers than any other institution in the state of Texas. The future teachers impacted through this project are expected to enhance the educational environment of future generations of STEM students. Dissemination of the results of this research investigation through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at professional meetings, and distribution of the self-efficacy survey will provide an opportunity for institutions nationwide to increase the effectiveness of the use of SI in lower-division chemistry courses.