Broadening Participation Research Grant: Reducing Stereotype Threat by enhancing emotional regulation: A role for Mindful Awareness Practice for STEM majors

弗吉尼亚州立大学HBCU-UP扩大STEM教育参与研究项目题为“通过加强情绪调节减少刻板印象威胁：STEM专业学生正念意识练习的作用”。本研究旨在测试冥想干预、元认知干预和基于媒体的干预对考试焦虑的效果，这些干预均与学业进步呈正相关。目的是研究利用冥想或元认知练习来降低数学课程中刻板印象威胁的机制。本研究旨在：1)实施和评估冥想干预（自生训练）通过降低刻板印象威胁来减轻数学焦虑和其他STEM相关考试焦虑的程度；2)实施并评估元认知任务（自我反思日志）通过减少刻板印象威胁来减轻数学焦虑和其他STEM相关考试焦虑的程度；3)实施和评估基于媒体的干预通过增加考试准备来减少数学焦虑和其他STEM相关考试焦虑的程度；4)通过了解各干预措施对STEM学生种族认同、结果期望和学业自我效能感的中介和调节因素，以及这些因素与数学焦虑和其他STEM相关考试焦虑的关系，建立理论模型。总体理念是创新的。研究将元认知、期刊写作、数字媒体和反思作为研究构建的要素。因为这些在科学教育文献中是熟悉的，这使得工作很容易被其他学者转移和提供信息。有一个坚实的研究基础来支持这项工作，关注多个STEM学科，在研究的实施和设计中与当代技术的关系，以及对科学的本质和文化的理解。研究结果可能有利于所有机构通过教师发展和更有效的学生支持系统来提高STEM学科的学生保留率。

The Virginia State University HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research in STEM education project is entitled Reducing Stereotype Threat by Enhancing Emotional Regulation: A Role for Mindful Awareness Practice for STEM Majors. The proposed study is designed to test the efficacy of a meditative intervention, a meta-cognitive intervention, and a media based intervention on test anxiety based on prior research showing a positive correlation with academic improvement. The goal is to study mechanisms to reduce stereotype threat in mathematics courses using meditative or meta-cognitive practices. The study aims to: 1) Implement and assess the degree to which a meditative intervention (Autogenic Training) attenuates math anxiety and other STEM related test anxiety by reducing stereotype threat; 2) Implement and assess the degree to which a meta-cognitive task (self-reflective journaling) attenuates math anxiety and other STEM related test anxiety by reducing stereotype threat; 3) Implement and assess the degree to which a media based intervention decreases math anxiety and other STEM related test anxiety by increasing test preparedness; and 4) Add to a theoretical model by understanding the mediating and moderating factors of each intervention on the ethnic identity, outcome expectation and academic self-efficacy of STEM students and how these relate math anxiety and other STEM- related test anxiety. The overarching idea is innovative. The study includes meta-cognition, journal writing, digital media and reflection as elements in the research construct. Because these are familiar in the science education literature, it makes the work easily transferrable and informative to other scholars. There is a solid research base that supports the work, a focus on more than one STEM discipline, a relation to contemporary technology in the implementation and design of the research, and an understanding of the nature and culture of science. The results can potentially benefit all institutions in their effort to increase student retention in STEM discipliens through faculty developmetn and more effective student support systems.