Impacts of the Concept Mapping Strategy in Introductory Biology Courses on Learning and Retention of Underrepresented STEM Students

生物学入门课程中的概念图策略对代表性不足的 STEM 学生的学习和保留的影响

• 批准号: 1623215
• 负责人: Catherine Martin-Dunlop
• 金额: $ 35万
• 依托单位: Morgan State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1623215&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Impacts; Concept; Mapping; Strategy; Introductory

Morgan State University will investigate the impact of a concept mapping strategy in introductory biology courses on the retention and academic success of underrepresented students. The researchers hypothesize students experiencing greater success in introductory biology by constructing concept maps and using them as an active learning tool will more likely be retained as a STEM major. The impact of concept mapping will be measured by investigating the correlations among course grades in two biology courses, mapping skill, ability to think big, motivation, and retention rates. The conceptual framework for the proposed project incorporates theories that support the efficacy of purposely creating an active learning environment that centers on the use of concept learning maps. The research has the potential to transform the biology learning environment from teacher-centered to student-centered with a focus on meaningful learning thereby increasing retention. The researchers will use a mixed-methods approach involving four classes and 30-40 faculty to answer two research questions: (1) What are the measurable impacts of using concept maps on metacognition and motivation among underrepresented students in introductory biology courses. (2) What are the correlations among course grades, mapping skill, metacognition, and motivation as well as retention and completion rates in upper-level biology courses? They will collect quantitative data using two survey instruments and qualitative data using classroom observations of concept mapping and semi-structured interviews with faculty. The research findings are expected to yield insights to reverse the attrition in introductory gatekeeper biology courses for STEM majors and, ultimately, provide an alternative model for improving overall student success. This project is supported by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Broadening Participation Research in Education track. This program track supports ideas to create and study new models and innovations in STEM teaching and learning, investigate the underlying issues affecting the differential participation and success rates of students from underrepresented groups, and produce knowledge to inform STEM education practices and interventions.

摩根州立大学将调查生物学入门课程中概念映射策略对代表性不足的学生的保留和学业成功的影响。研究人员假设，通过构建概念图并将其作为主动学习工具，在入门生物学方面取得更大成功的学生，更有可能被保留为STEM专业的学生。概念映射的影响将通过调查两门生物学课程的成绩、映射技能、思考能力、动机和保留率之间的相关性来衡量。拟议项目的概念框架包含了一些理论，这些理论支持有目的地创造一个以概念学习地图的使用为中心的积极学习环境的有效性。该研究有可能将生物学习环境从以教师为中心转变为以学生为中心，注重有意义的学习，从而提高记忆力。研究人员将采用一种混合方法，涉及4个班级和30-40名教师来回答两个研究问题：(1)在生物学入门课程中，使用概念图对未被充分代表的学生的元认知和动机有什么可衡量的影响。(2)高年级生物课程成绩、绘图技能、元认知、动机与留校率和完成率之间的相关关系是什么？他们将使用两种调查工具收集定量数据，并使用概念图的课堂观察和与教师的半结构化访谈收集定性数据。研究结果有望产生见解，扭转STEM专业入门看门人生物学课程的流失，并最终为提高学生的整体成功提供另一种模式。本项目由历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）扩大参与教育研究项目支持。该项目支持创建和研究STEM教学和学习的新模式和创新的想法，调查影响代表性不足群体学生的差异参与和成功率的潜在问题，并为STEM教育实践和干预提供知识。