BCSER: IID: Evaluating CURE Laboratory Benefits for Underprepared Students

评估课堂本科研究经验实验室的好处准备不足的学生课堂本科研究经验（CURE）实验室的经验可以使科学更具包容性，让大量的一年级学生进行真实的研究的经验。 CURE的积极好处包括提高分析能力，技术技能，自我效能和对科学的坚持。大多数关于CURE的研究报告来自研究密集型机构，有选择性的招生，一些CURE被故意限制在只有高成绩的学生。本研究项目将检验这一假设，即在学生社会经济背景多样性很大的机构和大量教育准备不足的学生中实施CURE使学生受益。PI目前的专长是分子生物学研究。因此，为了成功地开展这项教育研究，PI将追求专业发展，以发展生物教育研究领域的深厚主题知识，教育研究研究设计的专业知识，以及定量数据统计分析的专业知识。这些目标将在四位专家导师的指导下实现，并通过参加统计分析的暑期课程来实现。这个研究项目和PI在整体职业轨迹上的变化将通过促进不同教育背景之间成功的知识转移来扩大STEM职业的参与。将研究的治愈是一个微型地球实验室，在一所区域综合大学的生物学导论I中实施，该大学在社会经济背景和学生准备方面具有极其多样化的学生群体。项目研究目标是确定CURE实验室是否（1）提高学生的自我效能感、项目所有权和对生物学的看法;（2）影响相关讲座中的内容知识;（3）对持久性具有纵向影响。对于每个目标，PI还将专门解决准备不足的学生是否受到CURE实验室的不同影响。PI将使用现有的工具来调查学生，将比较学生在相关讲座中的考试成绩，并将比较高级必修课程的入学情况。对于每次分析，PI将使用回归模型来控制学生准备和其他协变量。这项研究将提高我们的理解如何不同的情况下，特别是在对准备不足的学生的影响，教学法的效果不同，它将提高我们的理解的积极效益的CURES。 EHR核心研究：STEM教育研究能力建设（ECR：BCSER）竞赛，旨在培养个人在STEM学习和学习环境中开展高质量基础STEM教育研究的能力，扩大STEM领域的参与，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识产权进行评估来支持。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Evaluating Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience Laboratory Benefits for Underprepared StudentsClassroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) laboratory experiences can make science more inclusive by giving large numbers of first-year students the experience of carrying out authentic research. The positive benefits of CUREs include increased analytical skills, technical skills, self-efficacy, and persistence in science. Most of the reported research on CUREs is from research-intensive institutions with selective admissions, and some CUREs have been intentionally limited to only high-achieving students. This research project will test the hypothesis that CUREs benefit students when implemented at an institution with a great diversity in student socioeconomic background and a large number of students who are educationally underprepared. The PI’s current expertise is in molecular biology research. Thus to successfully carry out this education research, the PI will pursue professional development to develop deep subject-matter knowledge in the field of biology education research, expertise in study design for education research, and expertise in statistical analysis of quantitative data. These goals will be achieved with the guidance of four expert mentors, and by taking summer classes in statistical analysis. This research project and the PI’s change in overall career trajectory will broaden participation in STEM careers by facilitating the transfer of successful pedagogies between different educational contexts. The CURE that will be studied is a Tiny Earth lab that was implemented in Introductory Biology I at a regional comprehensive university with an extremely diverse student body in socio-economic background and student preparation. The project research goals are to determine whether the CURE lab (1) increases student self-efficacy, project ownership, and perceptions of biology; (2) affects content knowledge in the associated lecture class; and (3) has longitudinal effects on persistence. For each goal, the PI will also specifically address whether underprepared students are differentially affected by the CURE lab. The PI will use established instruments to survey students, will compare student exam scores in the associated lecture class, and will compare enrollment in an upper-level required course. For each analysis, the PI will use regression models to control for student preparation and other co-variates. This research will enhance our understanding of how the effects of pedagogy differ between contexts, especially in effects on underprepared students, and it will enhance our understanding of the positive benefits of CUREs. The project is supported through the EHR Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) competition that is designed to build individuals’ capacity to carry out high quality fundamental STEM education research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.