| NSF Org: |
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 21, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 12, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1818710 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Tori Rhoulac Smith
tosmith@nsf.gov (703)292-2315 EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $350,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $350,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1601 E MARKET ST GREENSBORO NC US 27411 (336)334-7995 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1601 East Market Street Greensboro NC US 27411-0001 |
| 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): | Hist Black Colleges and Univ |
| 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
Researchers at North Carolina A&T State University are examining the mutual effects of the Math Emporium and SCALE-UP models on student learning and performance in gate-keeper mathematics courses. Framed using theories of motivation, self-efficacy, and attribution, the project is grounded by research documenting that an engaging classroom environment and active learning improve student performance. The researchers are interested particularly in exploring how exposure to mathematics instruction models can modify existing psychosocial processes among students in the gate-keeper math courses. The project will contribute to the current knowledge by producing empirical evidence of an intervention that can mitigate a recurring barrier to underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM, i.e., mastery of gatekeeper mathematics courses.
The researchers will test two hypotheses: implementing the Math Emporium and SCALE-UP models in pre-calculus and trigonometry courses will positively impact students' attitudes, self-efficacy, and academic performance, and there is a causal relationship among these variables. The project will employ a mixed-method research design and sequential approach to answer the research questions and include approximately 120 treatment subjects and 120 control subjects. The qualitative phase of the project aims to reveal underlying factors that influence cognitive and affective processes and expand theory and current knowledge of practices that have been demonstrated to improve STEM education and persistence. A pre-post-test design will be used to determine students' incoming attitudes and beliefs and the extent to which these change over time in related gate-keeper mathematics courses. The researchers will use a comparison group to document the magnitude of the effect of the intervention on student attitudes, self-efficacy, effort and course outcomes and employ descriptive statistics to characterize categorical and numerical variables. Focus group sessions will be transcribed and coded for significant statements and emergent themes, and textual and categorical data analysis will be conducted using text mining tools. The research results are expected to not only improve student success in gatekeeper mathematics courses but also to increase underrepresented student retention in STEM broadly.
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.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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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 NSF HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research Project has enabled the Mathematics and Statistics Department at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) to conduct a research study to examine the mutual effects of the two student-centered teaching methods and self-actualization encompassing student attitude, self-efficacy, and effort, which allows a deeper understanding of students' growth mindset toward mathematics courses. The BPR project studied the effects of the two student-centered teaching methods of Mathematics Emporium and SCALE-UP on students? motivational processes (i.e., student attitude, self-efficacy, and effort towards math related tasks), and ultimately students? performance in MATH 103/104-College Algebra and Trigonometry for Engineers & Scientists I & II and MATH 131-Calculus I courses. The study used a quasi-experimental design with a treatment-comparison group design, including pre-post comparisons of motivational processes and academic performance indicators. As a result of the BPR education research study at NCA&T, two treatment sections and two control comparison sections each of MATH 103, 104 and 131 were offered in fall 2018, 2019 and 2021 and spring 2019 and 2020. Six math faculty were engaged in one treatment section and one control section of either MATH 103, or MATH 104 or MATH 131 in each of the five semesters. A total of 594 students were enrolled in the 12 treatments sections and 548 students were signed up in the 12 control sections in the fall 2018-spring 2019, 600 students were enrolled in the 12 treatments sections and 539 students were signed up in the 12 control sections in the fall 2019-spring 2020, and 283 students were enrolled in the six treatment sections and 271 students were signed up in the 6 control sections in the fall 2021. Student performances in the treatment sections and control sections of the three courses were reviewed and analyzed. Additionally, the math attitude, self-efficacy and effort pre and post surveys were conducted in the fall 2019 and 2021, and spring 2020, while only pre-survey were conducted in the fall 2020 and spring 2021. 507 out of 571 (89%) and 439 of 571 (77%) enrolled students in the MATH 103, 104 and 131 sections taught by the six BPR project faculty members participated in the fall 2019 math attitude pre and post surveys while 504 out of 574 (88%) and 483 of 574 (84%) enrolled students in the MATH 103, 104 and 131 sections taught by the six BPR project faculty members participated in the spring 2020 math attitude pre and post surveys. 207 out of 492 (or 42%) enrolled students in the MATH 103, 104 and 131 sections taught by the six BPR project faculty members participated in the fall 2020 math attitude pre-survey, and 315 out of 556 (or 57%) enrolled students in the MATH 103, 104 and 131 sections taught by the six BPR project faculty members participated in the spring 2021 math attitude pre-survey. 255 out of 554 (46%) and 222 of 544 (40%) enrolled students in the MATH 103, 104 and 131 sections taught by the six BPR project faculty members participated in the fall 2021 math attitude pre and post surveys. We also conducted five student focus group sessions in the fall 2019, and eight student focus group sessions in the spring 2021. 31 students participated in the fall 2029 focus group sessions, and 54 students participated in the spring 2021 focus group sessions. The fall 2019 and spring 2021 student focus group session interview data were text mined using sentiment analysis. Word count and word cloud were generated, and sentiment values were calculated.
The project impacted over 3,990 undergraduate students through mathematics course teaching and learning in MATH 103, 104 and 131 in the fall 2018 through spring 2022 by exposing them to math attitude surveys as well as recruiting them to participate in focus groups sessions to describe their perceptions, experience and challenges in these courses. The BPR Project also supported 11 math and psychology faculty education research growth via facilitating faculty scholarly teaching as well as promoting data-informed intervention and assessment in gate-keeper math instruction, resulting two journal publications and eight conference presentations.
Last Modified: 09/28/2023
Modified by: Guoqing Tang
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