Relationship between Course-Level Social Belonging (Sense of Belonging and Belonging Uncertainty) and Academic Performance in General Chemistry 1

Abstract

Students' social belonging in a general chemistry course has been shown to predict academic performance in that course. Additionally, students' social belonging at the beginning of a general chemistry course has been shown to differ across demographics, such as gender. This social belonging exists as both an absolute sense of belonging in the course and as an uncertainty in that belonging. Both social-belonging components are important for students' performance and retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In addition to differential social belonging across demographics at the beginning of the course, social belonging can change in response to course performance. This change in social belonging may further affect performance which may further affect social belonging in a recursive spiral. In this study, we investigated the recursive effect between course-level social belonging (measured as two separate, but correlated, components: sense of belonging and belonging uncertainty) and course performance in a general chemistry 1 course delivered in a hybrid online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We found evidence that course-level social belonging and course performance interact with each other through a recursive mechanism during a semester of general chemistry 1. These findings highlight the importance of implementing inclusive interventions continuously throughout a general chemistry 1 course, particularly after key assessments, such as exams.

Investigating the effects of course structure on students' sense of belonging and course performance

“…Figure 3 shows students' mean sense of belonging according to their earned overall letter grade in the course. Students who earned higher grades in each course tend to indicate stronger sense of belonging, similar to the find- ings of Edwards et al [8]. In Year 2 S2, despite the larger proportion of students earning a higher grade (Fig.…”

“…Within large introductory science courses, research hints that students sense of belonging may be tied to various course structures. For examples, Edwards et al found that students' sense of belonging in a general chemistry course may change during a semester according to students' course performance [8]. Kepple and Coble found that students cite both interpersonal relationships with their group and their lab work as significant contributors to their sense of belonging in a physics course [9].…”

Pivoting to Remote Learning: An Inquiry-Based Laboratory Closed Gaps in Self-Efficacy and Science Identity Between Students from Underrepresented Groups and Their Counterparts

“…57,58 While much remains to be done 58 to create inclusive learning environments, these trends stress the importance of evaluating curricula and making changes as needed to help students from every background succeed. With this in mind, a strong sense of belonging in STEM is a robust predictor of students' persistence in the field and academic success, 12,13,56,59 particularly for students from groups that are underrepresented. 10 There is tremendous potential value in using course-based laboratory experiences to show students what it is like to work in STEM and develop their transferable skills in a more controlled and low-risk environment early in their scientific careers.…”

“…Along the same lines, increased science identity among students was even attributed to closing a known “awarding gap” across the United Kingdom higher education system, and other studies in the literature highlight the importance of fostering students’ science identity, especially among HUG students. , While much remains to be done to create inclusive learning environments, these trends stress the importance of evaluating curricula and making changes as needed to help students from every background succeed. With this in mind, a strong sense of belonging in STEM is a robust predictor of students’ persistence in the field and academic success, ,,, particularly for students from groups that are underrepresented . There is tremendous potential value in using course-based laboratory experiences to show students what it is like to work in STEM and develop their transferable skills in a more controlled and low-risk environment early in their scientific careers.…”

Investigating Student Engagement in General Chemistry Active Learning Activities using the Activity Engagement Survey (AcES)

“…Additionally, although emotional and social engagement were not found to be significantly related to students’ grades on related exam items in this study, these aspects may still be important to students’ learning and should not be overlooked when facilitating active learning in the classroom. For example, some studies have found students’ social relationships, such as sense of belonging, to positively influence students’ overall grade in a course and other studies focused on students’ engagement in STEM courses as a whole found emotional engagement to be positively related to student performance outcomes . Additionally, higher emotional engagement in a course has also been found to be related to higher educational and career aspirations. , …”