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

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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.