NSF Org:	DGE Division Of Graduate Education
Recipient:	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
Initial Amendment Date:	July 19, 2022
Latest Amendment Date:	July 19, 2022
Award Number:	2222293
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Andrea Nixon anixon@nsf.gov  (703)292-2321 DGE  Division Of Graduate Education EDU  Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date:	September 1, 2022
End Date:	August 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$300,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$300,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2022 = $300,000.00
History of Investigator:	Sandhya Krishnan (Principal Investigator) sandhya.krishnan@colorado.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of Colorado at Boulder 3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO  US  80309-0001 (303)492-6221
Sponsor Congressional District:	02
Primary Place of Performance:	University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder CO  US  80309-0334
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	SPVKK1RC2MZ3
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Postdoctoral Fellowships
Primary Program Source:	040V2122DB EHR ARP Act DEFC V
Program Reference Code(s):	102Z, 8817
Program Element Code(s):	713700
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.076

ABSTRACT

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).

This postdoctoral research fellowship project seeks to redefine what it means to fail in the sciences through investigating the potential for failure to be seen as a positive experience that results in increased learning for undergraduate science students. The investigator will implement a large-scale study that pursues three lines of inquiry. First is to investigate how failure may lead to science learning in an undergraduate research setting. Second is to examine what strategies instructors use to discuss and support students during failures. Third is to identify how those interactions may impact students? resilience and approach to future science challenges. The project will inform the redesign of science curricula to help students learn more through the process of scientific failure. It will also inform how to support students? growth as creative and critical thinkers, to expand the scope of success beyond their being good test-takers. More broadly, building student resilience will directly support the development of a globally competitive and diverse workforce consisting of scientists who can navigate failures thoughtfully to find creative solutions when tackling global challenges such as pandemics and climate change. In addition to conducting research, the investigator proposes to build professional self-competencies in quantitative research and analysis, mentoring students, teaching, and networks.

This research project aims to study students? experiences of research-based failure in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) to better understand how these experiences can impact student learning and development of positive intrapersonal attributes. Intrapersonal constructs contributing to resilience, such as fear of failure, goal orientation, student-instructor trust, and coping are non-cognitive attributes that are known to impact the undergraduate learning experience, persistence, and success in STEM. These attributes are also highly likely to be influenced by students? failure experiences. The investigator will recruit CURE students from diverse institutions such as predominantly undergraduate institutions, community colleges, and research-intensive institutions, to participate across four semesters in this two-year mixed-methods study. The investigator will integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches to develop and test a novel explanatory model of how the above intrapersonal constructs may change through experiences of research-based failure in CUREs. Quantitative approaches will include binary logistic regression models, and qualitative study will include multiple analytical approaches such as hermeneutic methodology to deeply examine students? experiences. The integration of quantitative and qualitative work as part of the mixed methods design will yield a richer understanding of students? failure experiences that will enable explanation of both current trends and predict future ones. Through the focus on failure, the project could elucidate the circumstances in which failure contributes to STEM attrition and help explain what supports and resources would support vulnerable populations of students in navigating failure experiences. This knowledge could be used to develop interventions to mitigate the psychosocial impact of failure while simultaneously creating opportunities for constructive epistemological ?failures.?

The project responds to the STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) program that aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field.

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.

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