HSI Pilot Project: Impact of Learning Assistants on STEM Identity for Students Historically Underrepresented in STEM

在改善本科STEM教育的支持下：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划），这个轨道1项目旨在了解学习助理（LA）对STEM身份的影响，因为学生在STEM中的代表性历来不足。 LA计划已经越来越受欢迎，由于强大的研究支持，在提高学生的学习，降低D和F的退出率和等级，增加保留在干，激励学生从事教学职业，支持课程和教学改革，并增加干身份的有效性。然而，大多数关于法律援助的研究都是在有限的机构和学科中进行的，这就要求在新的机构背景下对法律援助进行进一步的研究。该项目将在洛杉矶县的阿祖萨太平洋大学（Azusa Pacific University）的STEM课程中试点和评估洛杉矶项目。LA计划预计将提高STEM专业的保留率和毕业率，增加获得STEM学位的西班牙裔/拉丁裔学生的数量，并深入了解有助于西班牙裔/拉丁裔学生采用STEM身份的因素。该项目使用混合方法研究来回答以下问题：（1）在课堂上的LA的存在是否有助于培养学生，特别是西班牙裔或拉丁裔学生的STEM身份感？(2)作为一个LA如何影响一个人在STEM中的身份/归属感，特别是对于西班牙裔或拉丁裔LA？面试和焦点小组成绩单将由学生和LA进行定性分析。此外，还将对STEM职业身份重叠4（STEM-PIO-4）测量和STEM职业兴趣调查（STEM-CIS）的数据进行定量分析。研究人员希望深入了解可用于HSIs的特定文化的教学实践，以增加学生对STEM身份的认同感，并保留STEM中的不同学生。HSI计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，并建立HSI的能力。HSI计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 1 project aims to understand the impact of Learning Assistants (LAs) on STEM identity for students historically underrepresented in STEM. LA programs have grown in popularity due to strong research support on the effectiveness of LAs at increasing student learning, reducing rates of withdrawals and grades of D and F, increasing retention in STEM, motivating students to teaching careers, supporting curricular and pedagogical transformation, and increasing STEM identity. However, most research on LAs has been conducted in a limited set of institutions and disciplines, calling for further research on LAs in new institutional contexts. This project will pilot and evaluate an LA program across the STEM curriculum at Azusa Pacific University, a 4-year HSI in Los Angeles County. The LA program is expected to improve retention and graduation rates for STEM majors, increasing the number of Hispanic/Latino students achieving STEM degrees, and to provide insight into factors that contribute to Hispanic/Latino students adopting a STEM identity.This project uses mixed-methods research to answer the following questions: (1) Does the presence of an LA in the classroom help cultivate a sense of STEM identity amongst students, particularly for Hispanic or Latino students? (2) How does being an LA influence one’s identity/sense of belonging in STEM, particularly for Hispanic or Latino LAs? Interviews and focus group transcripts will be analyzed qualitatively by students and LAs. In addition, data will be analyzed quantitatively from the STEM Professional Identity Overlap 4 (STEM-PIO-4) measure and the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS). Researchers expect to gain insights into culturally-specific instructional practices that can be used at HSIs to increase students’ sense of STEM identity and retention of diverse students in STEM. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.