BCSER: IID: Evaluating CURE Laboratory Benefits for Underprepared Students

评估课堂本科生研究体验实验室对准备不足学生的好处课堂本科生研究体验（CURE）实验室体验可以通过为大量一年级学生提供进行真实研究的体验，使科学更具包容性。治愈的积极好处包括提高分析能力、技术技能、自我效能和对科学的坚持。大多数报道的关于治愈的研究都来自有选择性招生的研究密集型机构，有些治愈被有意地限制在成绩优异的学生中。这个研究项目将检验这样一个假设，即在一个学生社会经济背景差异很大、大量学生在教育上准备不足的机构实施cure会使学生受益。PI目前的专长是分子生物学研究。因此，为了成功地开展这项教育研究，PI将追求专业发展，在生物教育研究领域培养深厚的主题知识，在教育研究的研究设计方面的专业知识，以及在定量数据的统计分析方面的专业知识。这些目标将在四位专家导师的指导下实现，并通过参加夏季统计分析课程来实现。该研究项目和PI在整体职业轨迹上的改变将通过促进成功教学法在不同教育背景之间的转移，扩大STEM职业的参与。我们将研究的CURE是一个微型地球实验室，它在一所地区性综合性大学的入门生物学I中实施，该大学的学生群体在社会经济背景和学生准备方面都非常多样化。该项目的研究目标是确定CURE实验室(1)是否增加了学生的自我效能感、项目所有权和对生物学的认知；(2)影响相关讲座课堂的内容知识；(3)对持久性有纵向影响。对于每一个目标，PI还将特别指出准备不足的学生是否会受到CURE实验室的不同影响。PI将使用现有的工具对学生进行调查，比较学生在相关课程中的考试成绩，并比较高级必修课程的注册情况。对于每个分析，PI将使用回归模型来控制学生准备和其他协变量。这项研究将增强我们对不同环境下教学法的不同效果的理解，特别是对准备不足的学生的影响，它将增强我们对治愈的积极益处的理解。该项目得到了EHR核心研究：STEM教育研究能力建设（ECR: BCSER）竞赛的支持，该竞赛旨在培养个人在STEM学习和学习环境中开展高质量基础STEM教育研究的能力，扩大STEM领域的参与，以及STEM劳动力的发展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Evaluating Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience Laboratory Benefits for Underprepared StudentsClassroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) laboratory experiences can make science more inclusive by giving large numbers of first-year students the experience of carrying out authentic research. The positive benefits of CUREs include increased analytical skills, technical skills, self-efficacy, and persistence in science. Most of the reported research on CUREs is from research-intensive institutions with selective admissions, and some CUREs have been intentionally limited to only high-achieving students. This research project will test the hypothesis that CUREs benefit students when implemented at an institution with a great diversity in student socioeconomic background and a large number of students who are educationally underprepared. The PI’s current expertise is in molecular biology research. Thus to successfully carry out this education research, the PI will pursue professional development to develop deep subject-matter knowledge in the field of biology education research, expertise in study design for education research, and expertise in statistical analysis of quantitative data. These goals will be achieved with the guidance of four expert mentors, and by taking summer classes in statistical analysis. This research project and the PI’s change in overall career trajectory will broaden participation in STEM careers by facilitating the transfer of successful pedagogies between different educational contexts. The CURE that will be studied is a Tiny Earth lab that was implemented in Introductory Biology I at a regional comprehensive university with an extremely diverse student body in socio-economic background and student preparation. The project research goals are to determine whether the CURE lab (1) increases student self-efficacy, project ownership, and perceptions of biology; (2) affects content knowledge in the associated lecture class; and (3) has longitudinal effects on persistence. For each goal, the PI will also specifically address whether underprepared students are differentially affected by the CURE lab. The PI will use established instruments to survey students, will compare student exam scores in the associated lecture class, and will compare enrollment in an upper-level required course. For each analysis, the PI will use regression models to control for student preparation and other co-variates. This research will enhance our understanding of how the effects of pedagogy differ between contexts, especially in effects on underprepared students, and it will enhance our understanding of the positive benefits of CUREs. The project is supported through the EHR Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) competition that is designed to build individuals’ capacity to carry out high quality fundamental STEM education research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.