Metacognition: A Transformative Approach to Improving Retention of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and First Generation STEM Majors

该项目旨在通过重点培养学生的元认知能力，提高科学、工程和计算机科学专业本科生的留校率。目标人群包括很大比例的聋哑和听力障碍（DHH）学生和第一代大学生（FG），他们在申请机构的人数不成比例，相对于普通学生群体表现不佳。例如，DHH和FG的学生更有可能在第一年不及格（81%对58%），4年的保留率也更低（47%对63%）。该项目的智力价值在于其基于学习科学的文献，这支持了该项目的计划，即注重培养学生的元认知能力和实践，从而转变他们的学习方式。这样做，这种方法补充了现有的以内容为导向的辅导计划和其他干预措施，并解决了导致学生挣扎的根本问题。该项目正在发挥更广泛的影响，为其他机构提供了一个模式，这些机构试图利用这种专注于提高元认知的方法来改善学生的学习。这个特殊的项目也有希望对大量的DHH和第一代大学生产生影响，这只会增加项目影响的价值。

This project is improving the retention of undergraduate majors in science, engineering, and computer science, through a focused approach on developing student metacognitive ability. The target population includes a large proportion of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and first-generation (FG) college students, both of whom attend the proposing institution in disproportionate numbers and underperform relative to the general student population. For example, DHH and FG students are more likely to fail a course in their first year (81% vs. 58%) and have lower 4-year retention rates (47% vs. 63%). The intellectual merit of the project lies in its grounding in the literature of the learning sciences, which supports the project's plan to focus on developing students' ability in and practice of metacognition so as to transform their approach to learning. In so doing this approach complements existing content-oriented tutoring programs and other interventions, and addresses fundamental issues that lead students to struggle. The project is exercising broader impact by serving as a model for other institutions that seek to use such a focus on improving metacognition to improve student learning. That this particular project also holds promise to have an impact on a significant number of DHH and first-generation college students only adds value to the project's impact.