Research and Teaching: From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Improving Student Success in an Introductory Biology Course

Scott, Anne; McNair, Delores E.; Lucas, Jonathan C.; Land, Kirkwood M.

doi:10.2505/4/jcst17_046_04_93

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…As noted, results revealed a significant main effect of peer prevalence on introductory STEM course grades, an effect that was especially strong in difficult STEM gateway courses (as judged by average GPA) compared with Introductory Psychology. This is in line with evidence indicating that large, introductory STEM courses pose specific challenges to students (Matz et al, 2018), including a sense of anonymity and novelty around the size and structure of the learning environment (Scott et al, 2017), which high HSPP may help students manage. In one of the more difficult courses, Introductory Physics, first-generation students showed a particularly strong benefit of HSPP on grades.…”

Section: Benefits Of Hsppsupporting

confidence: 87%

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

et al. 2021

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The social experience of transitioning to a 4-year university varies widely among students. Some attend with few or no prior contacts or acquaintances from their hometown; others attend with a large network of high school alumni. Using a sample (N = 43,240) of undergraduates spanning 7.5 years at a public university, we examine what factors predict high school peer prevalence (HSPP) on campus and whether HSPP predicts college achievement above and beyond such factors. Analyses found that HSPP was predicted by variables associated with societal privilege (e.g., being White, continuing generation). Above and beyond these variables, HSPP independently predicted higher grades in gateway STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses and, among first-generation college students, higher retention. The role of HSPP in fostering equity and inequity is discussed. A preprint of this article is available at https://psyarxiv.com/xhpuc/ .

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Section: Benefits Of Hsppsupporting

confidence: 87%

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

et al. 2021

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“…Further research is needed to explore best practices to understand how successful community colleges foster STEM baccalaureate success among their female students. For example, previous studies have indicated that various interventions, such as values affirmation (Miyake et al, 2010), summer bridge programs (Harrington, Lloyd, Smolinski, & Shahin, 2016), small class teaching (Scott, McNair, Lucas, & Land, 2017), and strategies to improve the overall environment (Ramsey, Betz, & Sekaquaptewa, 2013), can enhance female students' performance in STEM. Though these interventions have been more prevalent in other sectors, community colleges can adopt pilot programs for similar interventions to identify how to narrow or close the gender gap in STEM.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A National Study of the Influence of the Community College Pathway on Female Students’ STEM Baccalaureate Success

Ortagus

2019

Community College Review

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Objective: This study examines the role of community colleges in closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by studying whether beginning at a community college improves the likelihood of female students earning their bachelor’s degree in STEM. Method: Using nationally representative data, we apply a propensity score matching approach to reduce the selection bias associated with a prospective student’s decision to begin at a community college rather than a 4-year institution. For each gender group, we employ a logistic regression model to estimate the influence of the community college pathway on STEM bachelor’s degree attainment. Results: We find that enrolling initially at a community college has a negative influence on students’ bachelor’s degree attainment in STEM for the pooled sample and male subsample. However, this finding does not hold for the female subsample, indicating that female students who attend community college before transferring to a 4-year institution are not less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree in STEM. Although additional analyses indicate that community college starters are more likely to drop out from a STEM bachelor’s degree program, the impact only exists for the pooled and male samples but not for female students. Contributions: Considering the significant efforts community colleges have devoted toward creating a suitable environment for female students in which to thrive, this study provides empirical evidence that community colleges have the potential to narrow the STEM achievement gap between gender groups and provide significant utility for female students seeking a bachelor’s degree in STEM fields.

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Section: Significance: Why Does Understanding Efficacy Matter?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We speculate that the differences in relative class sizes may have confounded the results. In other words, the smaller classes at Wingate may have contributed to increased completion rates, as described in Scott et al (2016). However, while at Pacific a 5% attrition rate over the course of the semester is fairly typical in that course, 70% of the class did not complete all of the four narrative assessment surveys.…”

Section: Limitations Of Our Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nipped in the Bud: COVID-19 Reveals the Malleability of STEM Student Self-Efficacy

Camfield

Schiller

Land

2021

LSE

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Research and Teaching: From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Improving Student Success in an Introductory Biology Course

Abstract: Integrating class-wide early literacy intervention and behavioral supports: A pilot investigation.

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

A National Study of the Influence of the Community College Pathway on Female Students’ STEM Baccalaureate Success

Nipped in the Bud: COVID-19 Reveals the Malleability of STEM Student Self-Efficacy

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