Broadening Participation Research Project: Effects of Innovative Mathematics Instruction Methods on Student Attitude, Self-efficacy, Effort and Performance

北卡罗来纳 A&T 州立大学的研究人员正在研究 Math Emporium 和 SCALE-UP 模型对学生在数学课程中的学习和表现的相互影响。该项目以动机、自我效能和归因理论为框架，以研究记录为基础，证明引人入胜的课堂环境和主动学习可以提高学生的表现。研究人员特别感兴趣的是探索数学教学模型如何改变看门人数学课程学生现有的心理社会过程。该项目将通过提供干预措施的实证证据来为当前的知识做出贡献，该干预措施可以减轻少数族裔学生坚持 STEM 的反复障碍，即掌握把关数学课程。 研究人员将测试两个假设：在微积分和三角学预科课程中实施 Math Emporium 和 SCALE-UP 模型将对学生的态度、自我效能和学业成绩产生积极影响，并且这些变量之间存在因果关系。该项目将采用混合方法研究设计和序贯方法来回答研究问题，并包括约 120 名治疗受试者和 120 名对照受试者。 该项目的定性阶段旨在揭示影响认知和情感过程的潜在因素，并扩展已被证明可以改善 STEM 教育和坚持的理论和当前实践知识。将使用测试前设计来确定学生的态度和信念，以及这些态度和信念在相关的把关数学课程中随时间变化的程度。研究人员将使用对照组来记录干预措施对学生态度、自我效能、努力和课程成果的影响程度，并采用描述性统计来描述分类变量和数值变量。焦点小组会议将针对重要陈述和新兴主题进行转录和编码，并将使用文本挖掘工具进行文本和分类数据分析。研究结果不仅能提高学生在把关数学课程中的成功率，还能广泛提高 STEM 中代表性不足的学生的保留率。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Researchers at North Carolina A&T State University are examining the mutual effects of the Math Emporium and SCALE-UP models on student learning and performance in gate-keeper mathematics courses. Framed using theories of motivation, self-efficacy, and attribution, the project is grounded by research documenting that an engaging classroom environment and active learning improve student performance. The researchers are interested particularly in exploring how exposure to mathematics instruction models can modify existing psychosocial processes among students in the gate-keeper math courses. The project will contribute to the current knowledge by producing empirical evidence of an intervention that can mitigate a recurring barrier to underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM, i.e., mastery of gatekeeper mathematics courses. The researchers will test two hypotheses: implementing the Math Emporium and SCALE-UP models in pre-calculus and trigonometry courses will positively impact students' attitudes, self-efficacy, and academic performance, and there is a causal relationship among these variables. The project will employ a mixed-method research design and sequential approach to answer the research questions and include approximately 120 treatment subjects and 120 control subjects. The qualitative phase of the project aims to reveal underlying factors that influence cognitive and affective processes and expand theory and current knowledge of practices that have been demonstrated to improve STEM education and persistence. A pre-post-test design will be used to determine students' incoming attitudes and beliefs and the extent to which these change over time in related gate-keeper mathematics courses. The researchers will use a comparison group to document the magnitude of the effect of the intervention on student attitudes, self-efficacy, effort and course outcomes and employ descriptive statistics to characterize categorical and numerical variables. Focus group sessions will be transcribed and coded for significant statements and emergent themes, and textual and categorical data analysis will be conducted using text mining tools. The research results are expected to not only improve student success in gatekeeper mathematics courses but also to increase underrepresented student retention in STEM broadly.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.