Excellence in Research: Tolerance of Ambiguity and Academic Success

塔斯基吉大学（Tuskegee University）的研究人员提议对工科、非工科和非stem专业的学生进行横断面纵向研究，以检验对歧义的容忍度对学业成功的影响。研究文献证明工程身份是代表性不足的少数群体坚持和学业成功的重要因素。然而，对影响工程身份认知发展的因素的研究有限。本研究旨在通过测量当前课程在容忍模糊性、智力心理模型和工程身份构建背景下的影响，确定有助于提高STEM学生学业成功概率的教学技术。项目团队还将重新设计一门航空航天工程入门课程和一门微积分课程，以提供一个学习环境，促进向相对论认知模型的发展，促进对模糊性的容忍。拟议研究的结果预计将为一项有数据支持的课程改进计划提供信息，以促进学生取得预期成果的学习环境。该项目以身份发展、容忍歧义和智力发展理论为基础。假设是，基于经验的对模糊性容忍的影响和工程身份形成的影响的理解将为课程创新提供信息，这将对工程和其他STEM学科的学生的学业成功、保留和坚持产生积极影响。研究人员将使用准实验设计来解决五个研究问题：(1)歧义容忍度与工程问题空间的智力模型之间是否存在相关性？(2)对歧义的容忍度是衡量STEM学生学业成功的有力指标吗？(3) STEM学生与非STEM学生的认知模式发展是否存在差异？(4)职业认同与歧义容忍度之间是否存在相关性？(5)性别对歧义容忍度有影响吗？修订后的Rydell-Rosen AT量表将用于确定对歧义的容忍度，工程身份将使用捕获三个维度的仪器进行测量。数据分析将包括描述性统计和推断性统计。该项目将指导制定有效的结构和教学策略，以提高工程和其他STEM学科中代表性不足的学生的保留率、持久性和学业成就。该奖项由改善本科STEM教育：教育与人力资源（IUSE）： EHR计划（NSF 17-590）资助。IUSE支持旨在通过开发新的课程材料和教学方法以及开发新的评估工具来衡量学生学习的项目。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Researchers at Tuskegee University propose to conduct a cross-sectional longitudinal study of engineering, non-engineering, and non-STEM students to examine the impact of tolerance of ambiguity on academic success. The research literature documents engineering identity as an important factor for persistence and academic success for underrepresented minorities. However, there is limited research on the factors that influence the cognitive development of an engineering identity. This research is expected to identify pedagogical techniques that will help increase the probability of academic success of STEM students by measuring the influence of the current curriculum in the context of constructs of ambiguity of tolerance, intellectual mental models and engineering identity. The project team also will redesign one introductory aerospace engineering course and one calculus course to provide a learning environment that will facilitate movement towards relativistic cognitive models promoting tolerance of ambiguity. The findings of the proposed research are expected to inform a data-supported curriculum improvement plan for a learning environment that will facilitate the desired student outcomes.The project is grounded in theories of identity development, tolerance of ambiguity, and intellectual development. The hypothesis is that an empirically based understanding of the impact of the impact of tolerance of ambiguity and the formation of engineering identity will inform curriculum innovations that will positively impact academic success, retention, and persistence of students in engineering and other STEM disciplines. The researchers will use a quasi-experimental design to address five research questions: (1) Is there a correlation between tolerance of ambiguity and intellectual models of the engineering problem space? (2) Is tolerance of ambiguity a robust indicator of academic success of STEM students? (3) Is there a difference between the development of cognitive models of STEM and non-STEM students? (4) Is there a correlation between professional identity and tolerance for ambiguity? and (5) Does gender have an influence on tolerance for ambiguity? The revised Rydell-Rosen AT scale will be used to determine the tolerance for ambiguity, and engineering identity will be measured using an instrument that captures the three dimensions. The data analysis will consist of descriptive and inferential statistics. The project will guide the development of effective structural and pedagogical strategies to increase the retention, persistence, and academic success of underrepresented students in engineering and other STEM disciplines.This award is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources (IUSE): EHR Program (NSF 17-590). IUSE supports projects that are designed to improve student learning through development of new curricular materials and methods of instruction and development of new assessment tools to measure student learning.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.