Broadening Participation Research Project: Investigating the Integration of Mathematics into Biology by Reciprocal Course Content Exchange

菲斯克大学和田纳西州立大学正在使用侵入式学习社区的方法来测试一个影响学生从STEM学科切换到非STEM学科的因素的理论模型。研究人员建议使用成绩金字塔来开发衡量两种干预措施有效性的方法-大学代数和普通生物学的结合部分，将数学融入科学课程，以及一个学习社区，由被称为同行伙伴学习(PPL)领导者的本科生同伴导师帮助完成与生物相关的数学项目。学习共同体的目标是促进跨学科思维和解决问题，减少学生的数学焦虑，鼓励学生从事STEM课程，并提高学生在STEM中的自我效能感和坚持性。学习社区的PPL领导人将形成支持网络，促进学生参与者的学习和个人发展。这项拟议的研究有望为指导STEM教育提供重要的见解，并增加从事STEM研究生教育和职业生涯的非裔美国学生的渠道。研究人员将使用准实验非等价控制组设计来检验一个多方面的假设。该假设指出，参加以领导者为中心的学习社区的学生将在他们的STEM课程中展示更多的知识和技能；绩效金字塔的概念元素可以被量化；PPL将支持更多的绩效金字塔支持系统；学生将积极地评价学习社区；参与者将表现出更高的STEM保持和坚持性。相反，研究人员假设，在小型学习社区的参与者中，转到非STEM学科的STEM学生的数量将会减少，完成综合课程后，数学焦虑水平将显著降低。研究人员将开发侵入式学习的课程材料，并进行调查，以测量绩效金字塔模型中的支持系统。他们将使用多元方差分析、泊松回归、结构方程建模、皮尔逊相关性和描述性统计相结合的方法来分析研究数据。他们还打算组织一个教师发展研讨会，以鼓励更多的STEM教师将学习社区融入教学中。

Fisk University and Tennessee State University are using the Intrusive Learning Community approach to test a theoretical model of factors that influence students to switch from STEM to non-STEM disciplines. Researchers propose to use the Performance Pyramid to develop measures that examine the effectiveness of two interventions - a combined section of college algebra and general biology that infuses math into the science curriculum and a learning community to complete mathematics projects related to biology facilitated by undergraduate peer mentors called Peer Partnership Learning (PPL) leaders. The objectives of the learning community are to promote interdisciplinary thinking and problem solving, decrease student mathematics anxiety, encourage students to pursue STEM coursework, and increase student self-efficacy and persistence in STEM. The PPL leaders in the learning community will form supportive networks and enhance learning and personal development of student participants. The proposed study is expected to provide important insights to guide STEM education and increase the pipeline of African American students who pursue STEM graduate education and careers.Researchers will use a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design to test a multi-faceted hypothesis. The hypothesis states that students who participate in the PPL leaders-focused learning community will demonstrate greater knowledge and skills in their STEM courses; that the conceptual elements of the performance pyramid can be quantified; that PPLs will endorse more performance pyramid support systems; that students will evaluate the learning community positively; and that participants will show higher show higher STEM retention and persistence. Conversely, researchers postulate that the number of STEM students who switch to non-STEM disciplines will be reduced among participants in the small learning communities, and the level of math anxiety will significantly decrease upon completion of the integrated course. The researchers will develop the course materials for intrusive learning and the survey to measure the support system in the Performance Pyramid model. They will use a combination of multivariate analyses of variance, Poisson regressions, structural equation modeling, Pearson's correlations, and descriptive statistics to analyze the research data. They also intend to organize a faculty development workshop to encourage more STEM faculty to integrate learning communities in teaching.