Improving Quantitative Reasoning through General Education Science Courses

该项目旨在通过探索通识教育科学课如何影响本科生的数值技能和对数学的态度来服务于国家利益。估计和读图表等数字技能与科学素养、对风险的理解和合理的财务决策有很强的正相关关系。为非STEM专业本科生开设的大学科学入门课程在提高数字素养方面发挥了重要作用，因为这些课程覆盖了很大比例的非STEM专业本科生。以往的研究表明，学生的定量推理技能和态度也会影响他们对STEM专业和职业的看法和参与。这个项目的目的是增加对在普通教育科学课程中发展计算能力的有效做法的了解。为此，它将使用大学科学定量推理(QuaRCS)调查，对全国各地的通识教育科学课程进行调查。这项调查的结果将确定，在这一学期中，学生在定量推理和对数学的态度方面表现出更大进步的理科课程。这些高效课程的一小部分讲师将被邀请参加一个工作组，为科学入门课程中的计算教学创造新的工具。改进通识教育科学课程的计算教学有可能扩大每个人在当今复杂的世界中做出决策所需的核心量化技能的掌握。该项目的总体目标是确定严格的、经过研究验证的策略，通过科学课程有效地教授计算。不懂数学和对数学的糟糕态度是本科生科学教育中普遍存在的挑战，对来自代表性和服务不足群体的学生造成了不成比例的影响。该项目有两个具体目标：(1)更好地了解科学入门课程的情况，包括数字技能、人口统计学以及数学焦虑和信心等情感变量之间的相互作用；(2)考察教师的做法，这些教师的学生在一个学期的课程中表现出数字技能或对数学的态度有所改善。经过验证的QuaRCS评估工具是该项目大型国家研究的核心。来自调查的数据将使教师能够识别在三个QuaRCS可测量的学生结果中的一个或多个方面做出贡献的教师：在现实世界中正确解决定量推理问题的能力；对数学的态度和相关的数字自我效能感；以及对自己数字技能的元认知意识。关键的研究问题包括：(1)人口统计变量与评估分数之间的相关性在多大程度上被情感变量(如自我效能感、数学效用感知、自我报告努力和数学焦虑水平)所缓解；以及(2)入门科学教师多久会促进QuaRCS测量的学生结果的改善。这项工作将是朝着理解有效的课堂实践和帮助学生提高数字和科学素养的教学技术迈出的重要一步。此外，该项目将继续正在进行的改进QuaRCS工具的进程，特别是努力确保调查项目与广泛的学生群体具有文化相关性。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by exploring how general education science classes affect undergraduate students’ numerical skills and attitudes about mathematics. Numerical skills such as estimation and graph reading have strong positive relationships with science literacy, understanding of risk, and sound financial decision making. Introductory college science courses for non-majors serve an important role in improving numerical literacy, as they reach a large proportion of non-STEM major undergraduates. Previous work indicates that students’ quantitative reasoning skills and attitudes also affect how they view and participate in STEM majors and careers. This project aims to increase understanding of effective practices in developing numeracy in general education science courses. To do so, it will survey general education science courses across the nation, using the Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) survey. Results of this survey will identify science courses in which, over the semester, students show greater improvements in quantitative reasoning and attitudes toward mathematics. A small group of the instructors of these highly effective courses will be invited to participate in a working group to create new tools for numeracy instruction in introductory science classes. Improving numeracy instruction in general education science courses has the potential to broaden mastery of core quantitative skills everyone needs for making decisions in today’s complex world.The project’s overall goal is to identify rigorous, research-validated strategies for effectively teaching numeracy through science courses. Innumeracy and poor attitudes toward mathematics are pervasive challenges in undergraduate science education that disproportionately affect students from underrepresented and underserved groups. The project has two specific aims: (1) to better understand the landscape of introductory science courses, including the ways in which numerical skills, demographics, and affective variables such as math anxiety and confidence interact; and (2) to examine the practices of instructors whose students show improvements in numerical skills or attitudes about mathematics over the course of a semester. The validated QuaRCS assessment instrument is the centerpiece of the project’s large national study. The data from the survey will enable identification of instructors who are making a difference in one or more of the three QuaRCS measurable student outcomes: the ability to correctly solve quantitative reasoning problems in real-world contexts; attitudes toward mathematics and associated numerical self-efficacy; and metacognitive awareness of their own numerical skills. Key research questions include: (1) To what extent are demonstrated correlations between demographic variables and score on the assessment mitigated by affective variables such as self-efficacy, perceived utility of mathematics, self-reported effort, and math anxiety level; and (2) How often do introductory science instructors foster improvements in the student outcomes measured by QuaRCS. This work will represent a significant step toward understanding effective classroom practices and pedagogical techniques for helping students improve numerical and scientific literacy. Additionally, the project will continue the ongoing process of improving the QuaRCS instrument, in particular working to ensure that the survey items are culturally relevant to a broad cross-section of students. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.