Improving Quantitative Reasoning through General Education Science Courses

通过通识教育科学课程提高定量推理

• 批准号: 2044372
• 负责人: Katherine Follette
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Amherst College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2044372&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; Quantitative; Reasoning; through; General

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.

本研究旨在探讨通识教育科学课程如何影响本科生的数学技能和对数学的态度，以服务于国家利益。 数字技能，如估计和图形阅读与科学素养，对风险的理解和合理的财务决策有很强的正相关关系。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，因为它们达到了很大比例的非STEM专业本科生。以前的工作表明，学生的定量推理技能和态度也影响他们如何看待和参与STEM专业和职业。 该项目旨在提高对在普通教育科学课程中发展算术能力的有效做法的理解。 为此，它将使用大学科学定量推理（Quantitative Reasoning for College Science）调查，调查全国的通识教育科学课程。 这项调查的结果将确定科学课程，在学期中，学生表现出更大的改善，在定量推理和对数学的态度。 这些高效课程的一小组教师将被邀请参加一个工作组，为入门科学课程的算术教学创造新的工具。 提高通识教育科学课程中的算术教学有可能扩大对核心量化技能的掌握，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格的，经过研究验证的策略，通过科学课程有效地教授算术。不识数和对数学的不良态度是本科科学教育中普遍存在的挑战，不成比例地影响了代表性不足和服务不足群体的学生。该项目有两个具体目标：（1）更好地了解入门科学课程的景观，包括数字技能，人口统计学和情感变量（如数学焦虑和信心）相互作用的方式;（2）检查教师的做法，其学生在一个学期的课程中表现出对数学的数字技能或态度的改善。 经过验证的RCS评估仪器是该项目大型国家研究的核心。从调查的数据将使教师谁是在一个或多个的三个可衡量的学生成果的差异识别：正确解决定量推理问题在现实世界中的能力;对数学和相关的数字自我效能的态度;和元认知意识自己的数字技能。主要研究问题包括：（1）人口统计学变量和评估分数之间的相关性在多大程度上被情感变量（如自我效能感、数学效用感知、自我报告的努力和数学焦虑水平）所缓解;（2）科学入门教师多久促进一次学生成绩的改善（通过RISRCS测量）。这项工作将代表一个重要的一步，了解有效的课堂实践和教学技术，帮助学生提高数字和科学素养。 此外，该项目还将继续进行目前正在进行的改进学生文化生活质量调查工具的工作，特别是努力确保调查项目在文化上与广泛的学生群体相关。 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。该奖项反映了NSF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。