
NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | June 19, 2014 |
Latest Amendment Date: | June 19, 2014 |
Award Number: | 1443790 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Karen King
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
Start Date: | July 1, 2014 |
End Date: | December 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $200,000.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $200,000.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
450 JANE STANFORD WAY STANFORD CA US 94305-2004 (650)723-2300 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
stanford university stanford CA US 94305-3096 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | REAL |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project is designed to study a Massively Open Online Course (MOOC), expected to have approximately 2 million students, which will supplement middle grades mathematics classes to understand the impact on students' mathematical learning and engagement in mathematics. The MOOC learning environment, used with school aged children in concert with their regular mathematics course, focuses on helping students to develop positive and productive beliefs, or growth mindsets, about their own potential in mathematics and to teach the students a range of strategies that lead to mathematics success. A better understanding of growth mindsets and learning how to learn mathematics in the context of regular classroom instruction potentially makes important contributions in introducing a new intervention to tens of thousands of students. This contribution is made in concert with providing evidence of impact of using MOOCs coupled with classroom instruction with school aged children on student learning. If the study finds that the mathematics intervention MOOC significantly increases students' achievement and engagement with mathematics, it can be scaled nationally and potentially change the face of mathematics education in the United States.
This study examines non-cognitive factors, mindsets, cognitive factors, and strategies for learning mathematics, in the context of a MOOC combined with classroom instruction for middle grades students in mathematics. No previous mindset study has researched the impact of mindset messages within mathematics, and the proposed study will add important knowledge to this field. The study will also contribute to new knowledge of MOOCs, of their potential as learning opportunities and of the design of innovative pedagogies. Using a blocked randomized control trial of 10,000 students in two California districts, the statistical design employed will enable schools to implement the program across entire classes of students. The study employs measures of pre/post changes in mathematics engagement, mindset, use of mathematics strategies, and mathematics achievement, with close examination of the implications for girls, students of color, students of different socio-economic-status and low achieving students.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This research study focused on the impact of a ‘massive, open, online course’ (MOOC) designed to change students’ ideas about mathematics and their potential to improve their mathematics achievement. Many students hold damaging fixed mindsets, believing that their intelligence is unchangeable. But when students shift to a growth mindset (believing that their intelligence is malleable), their achievement increases.
The Intervention: The MOOC includes six modules, each of which takes 15-20 minutes to complete. The teacher of the course is Jo Boaler, professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, accompanied by some of her undergraduate students.
Some of the key ideas in the course are:
- Everyone can learn mathematics to high levels
- Mistakes, challenge and struggle are the best times for brain growth
- Depth of thinking is more important than speed
- Mathematics is a creative and beautiful subject
- Mathematics is all around us in life and is important
The course has short videos interspersed with opportunities for students to reflect on the ideas, connect with other students in the course, and work on open-ended mathematics tasks designed to shape students’ perceptions related to these core ideas.
Design: This study of a MOOC intervention differs from previous mindset research in three ways (1) the intervention was delivered through a free online course with the advantage of being scalable nationwide (2) the intervention infused mindset messages into mathematics, specifically targeting students’ beliefs about mathematics (3) the research was conducted with a teacher randomized controlled design (RCT) to estimate its causal effects.
Results: Our analysis shows results from four school districts in California, with 1090 students enrolled in ten middle schools across four districts. Four hundred and thirty nine students took the online class, and 651 students were control students. There were 14 teachers in this sample.
Using statistical analyses that controlled for demographic differences, we found a treatment effect indicating that MOOC participants obtained higher scores in their Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) math overall scale score, overall proficiency levels, and concepts and procedures. Students who receive the treatment obtained 0.18 standard deviation (SD) gains in SBAC math overall scale score; i.e., the average student in the experimental group would score higher than 57% of the control group that was initially equivalent.
To understand possible mechanisms for the achievement treatment effect, participating teachers were asked to evaluate students’ engagement in class, before and after students took the online class, in both their treatment and control classrooms. The data shows significant effects for students who took the online course. The effect size of the treatment on student engagement was 0.47 SD, meaning that the average student in the treatment experimental group scored higher on the engagement scale than 68% of the control group accounting for baseline differences. Students in the treatment group participated more in class discussions and did not give up on work as quickly as their counterparts in the control classes.
We also examined changes in student beliefs about their mindsets and views of mathematics. A pre/post survey, measuring shifts in students’ beliefs, provides further insight into students’ increased academic achievement. There was a significant treatment effect on three areas. Students in the treatment had significantly higher reports of growth mindset and their perceptions of mathematics being an interesting and creative subject. They also reported feeling less fearful or easily deterred in math.
Most of the attention that is given to low math achievement issues considers the curriculum standards and textbooks used in classrooms. While these are important they may not be more important than a completely neglected issue – the fact that most students sit in mathematics classrooms, from kindergarten to University, thinking “I am not a math person”. In addition to this damaging belief, few students have learned to approach mathematics well, employing an approach to learning that is taught in the online class. The evidence from this randomized control trial shows the impact of changing these beliefs and approaches for students.
The online class that was the focus of this study has now been taken by over 160,000 participants – students of mathematics of all levels from elementary school to college. It has also been taken by tens of thousands of teachers and parents. The class is free, is available with Spanish sub-titles, and can be taken at any time and at any pace. Students can take the class in their school class, as students in the study did, or in summer school, in their own time or as homework. The course can launch the school year, or be infused throughout the year. When we change students’ ideas about their potential it changes their mathematics pathways and achievement dramatically.
Student MOOC URL: https://tinyurl.com/studentmooc
Last Modified: 07/07/2017
Modified by: Jo Boaler
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