Improving Quantitative Reasoning through General Education Science Courses

本项目旨在通过探索通识教育科学课程如何影响大学生的数字技能和对数学的态度，为国家利益服务。数字技能，如估算和图表阅读，与科学素养、对风险的理解和合理的财务决策有很强的正相关。非专业的大学科学入门课程在提高数字素养方面发挥着重要作用，因为这些课程覆盖了很大比例的非stem专业本科生。先前的研究表明，学生的定量推理技能和态度也会影响他们如何看待和参与STEM专业和职业。本计划旨在增进对在通识教育科学课程中发展计算能力的有效实践的了解。为此，将利用“大学科学定量推理调查”（QuaRCS）对全国通识教育科学课程进行调查。这项调查的结果将确定科学课程，在学期中，学生在定量推理和对数学的态度方面表现出更大的进步。这些高效课程的一小部分教师将被邀请参加一个工作组，为科学入门课的数学教学创造新的工具。改善通识教育科学课程中的计算教学，有可能扩大对核心定量技能的掌握，每个人都需要在当今复杂的世界中做出决策。该项目的总体目标是确定严谨的、经过研究验证的策略，以便通过科学课程有效地教授数学。数学盲和对数学的不良态度是本科科学教育中普遍存在的挑战，这对来自代表性不足和服务不足群体的学生造成了不成比例的影响。该项目有两个具体目标：(1)更好地理解科学入门课程的前景，包括数字技能、人口统计学和数学焦虑和自信等情感变量相互作用的方式；(2)考察教师的实践，这些教师的学生在一个学期的课程中表现出对数字技能或数学态度的改进。经过验证的QuaRCS评估仪器是该项目的大型国家研究的核心。来自调查的数据将有助于识别在QuaRCS可衡量的三个学生成果中的一个或多个方面产生影响的教师：在现实环境中正确解决定量推理问题的能力；数学态度与相关的数字自我效能感以及对自己数字技能的元认知意识。关键研究问题包括：(1)自我效能感、数学感知效用、自我报告努力和数学焦虑水平等情感变量对人口统计变量与评估分数之间的相关性有多大程度的缓解；(2)入门科学教师促进QuaRCS测量的学生成绩改善的频率。这项工作将是理解有效的课堂实践和教学技术以帮助学生提高数字和科学素养的重要一步。此外，该项目将继续改进QuaRCS仪器，特别是努力确保调查项目在文化上与广泛的学生相关。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。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。

This project aims to serve the national interest by exploring how general education science classes affect undergraduate students’ numerical skills and attitudes about mathematics. Numerical skills such as estimation and graph reading have strong positive relationships with science literacy, understanding of risk, and sound financial decision making. Introductory college science courses for non-majors serve an important role in improving numerical literacy, as they reach a large proportion of non-STEM major undergraduates. Previous work indicates that students’ quantitative reasoning skills and attitudes also affect how they view and participate in STEM majors and careers. This project aims to increase understanding of effective practices in developing numeracy in general education science courses. To do so, it will survey general education science courses across the nation, using the Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) survey. Results of this survey will identify science courses in which, over the semester, students show greater improvements in quantitative reasoning and attitudes toward mathematics. A small group of the instructors of these highly effective courses will be invited to participate in a working group to create new tools for numeracy instruction in introductory science classes. Improving numeracy instruction in general education science courses has the potential to broaden mastery of core quantitative skills everyone needs for making decisions in today’s complex world.The project’s overall goal is to identify rigorous, research-validated strategies for effectively teaching numeracy through science courses. Innumeracy and poor attitudes toward mathematics are pervasive challenges in undergraduate science education that disproportionately affect students from underrepresented and underserved groups. The project has two specific aims: (1) to better understand the landscape of introductory science courses, including the ways in which numerical skills, demographics, and affective variables such as math anxiety and confidence interact; and (2) to examine the practices of instructors whose students show improvements in numerical skills or attitudes about mathematics over the course of a semester. The validated QuaRCS assessment instrument is the centerpiece of the project’s large national study. The data from the survey will enable identification of instructors who are making a difference in one or more of the three QuaRCS measurable student outcomes: the ability to correctly solve quantitative reasoning problems in real-world contexts; attitudes toward mathematics and associated numerical self-efficacy; and metacognitive awareness of their own numerical skills. Key research questions include: (1) To what extent are demonstrated correlations between demographic variables and score on the assessment mitigated by affective variables such as self-efficacy, perceived utility of mathematics, self-reported effort, and math anxiety level; and (2) How often do introductory science instructors foster improvements in the student outcomes measured by QuaRCS. This work will represent a significant step toward understanding effective classroom practices and pedagogical techniques for helping students improve numerical and scientific literacy. Additionally, the project will continue the ongoing process of improving the QuaRCS instrument, in particular working to ensure that the survey items are culturally relevant to a broad cross-section of students. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.