Collaborative Research: Mindfulness Training to Mitigate Psychological Threat and Enhance Engagement and Learning in Undergraduate Introductory Physics

该项目旨在通过开发和测试一种新的理论框架来服务于国家利益，以了解和减少脱离的来源，并促进本科生物理入门课程的参与来源。这个项目的一个前提是，受到心理威胁的学生--那些认为对物理的需求超出了应对能力的学生--更有可能脱离物理。最重要的是，建议减少心理威胁，以提高参与度，最终提高学习和保持能力。这个项目测试了一个与物理参与和学习有关的心理威胁模型，该模型整合了三个独立的研究文献：1)动机(社会心理学和教育心理学)，2)正念和压力(健康和临床科学)，3)学习(认知心理学和基于学科的物理教育)。在对本科生进行的一系列随机实地实验中，该项目测试了正念训练可以帮助学生做出更适应的压力评估，从而减轻心理威胁和提高参与度的假设。该项目还探讨了适应性压力评估和更多的参与度是否会累积到学习和保持结果的长期收益。通过使用多方法评估(生态瞬时评估、绩效测量、自我报告调查、访谈、客观课程记录)，拟议的研究将提供必要的关键数据，以严格测试将正念与压力评估、参与和更广泛的物理学习联系起来的机制。这项研究的发现将对正念、心理威胁、参与和学习之间的关系提供有价值的见解。该项目得到了EHR核心研究(ECR)计划的支持，该计划支持推进STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究、扩大对STEM的参与以及STEM劳动力发展的工作。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 developing and testing a novel theoretical framework to understand and mitigate sources of disengagement and promote sources of engagement in undergraduate introductory physics courses. A premise of this project is that students under psychological threat—those who appraise demands of physics as exceeding coping resources—are more likely to disengage from physics. Critically, reducing psychological threat is suggested to boost engagement, and ultimately, learning and retention. The focus is on mindfulness as a tool to help students reappraise physics stressors, so that demands posed by learning physics can be perceived as temporary challenges to be overcome rather than permanent threats to be avoided.This project tests a model of psychological threat in relation to physics engagement and learning that integrates three separate research literatures on: 1) motivation (social and educational psychology), 2) mindfulness and stress (health and clinical science), and 3) learning (cognitive psychology and disciplinary-based physics education). In a series of randomized field experiments with undergraduates, this project tests the hypothesis that mindfulness training can help students make more adaptive stress appraisals, thereby mitigating psychological threat and boosting engagement. This project also explores whether adaptive stress appraisals and increased engagement cumulate to longer-term gains in learning and retention outcomes. Through the use of multimethod assessments (ecological momentary assessment, performance measures, self-report surveys, interviews, objective course records), the proposed studies will provide critical data necessary to rigorously test mechanisms connecting mindfulness to stress appraisals, engagement, and physics learning more broadly. Findings from this research will provide valuable insights into the relations between mindfulness, psychological threat, and engagement and learning. This project is supported by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, 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.