Purpose

The purpose of this project was to examine how perceptions that science provides opportunities to fulfill prosocial goals may influence underrepresented minority (URM) students’ motivation in foundational undergraduate science classes, as well as their science identity and interest in science careers. We approached this examination by collecting data from over 5,000 undergraduate science students at a large, urban minority-serving institution across three project phases: (1) longitudinal survey study, (2) focus groups and interviews, and (3) randomized experimental classroom intervention. Findings from freshmen surveys and interviews demonstrate the importance of culturally connected career motives for students who are both URMs and first-generation college students, and for examining intersectional identities to understand science education choices and inform efforts to broaden participation. Findings from the longitudinal surveys demonstrated that students do not come to college with relatively stable beliefs about science that only slightly shift over time. Rather, from semester to semester, students report large changes in their beliefs that fluctuate widely and non-linearly over time.  Learning that students’ beliefs about science do not seem to be strongly anchored around individual stability points suggests that courses (and instructors) have strong potential to change these beliefs because students do not enter college having firm and unchangeable beliefs about science. 

From the randomized intervention study findings, we learned that simple classroom writing assignments designed to help students make personal connections about how what they are learning in biology, chemistry, and physics classes can be made relevant for communal purpose goals of helping society or giving back to their community can improve student achievement and engagement in their science courses. These writing assignments are only effective, however, for those who make identifiable connections in their writing and attention to intervention fidelity in writing intervention is critical for ensuring effectiveness. A clear goal for the next step of our interventions research program is to continue to improve the assignments structure and implementation procedures to optimally facilitate high quality connections in student writing. 

Taken together, findings from this project can be used to highlight the importance of ensuring that science educators help students find personally meaningful connections between what they are learning and its relevance for giving back to society or helping one’s community. These values are already in line with our national science priorities, but making connections to the purpose of science can be seen during early undergraduate education as less critical than focusing on specific learning objectives. To broaden participation, however, we must also facilitate students’ efforts to find greater meaning and purpose in what they are doing as science majors. Our work identifies both the motivational importance of this point and strategies for how to help students make these connections in their undergraduate classes. 

Funding

Understanding the role of cultural and career purpose orientations in underrepresented minority science student success. National Science Foundation DRL 1420271/ 1622991, 2014 – 2018

PIs:

Dustin Thoman, Paul Buonora, & Gino Galvez, California State University, Long Beach

Key personnel:

Christina Leal, Garam Lee, Matthew Jackson, Jeanette Zambrano

Representative Publications

Zambrano, J., Lee., G., Leal., C., & Thoman, D.B. (2020). Highlighting prosocial affordances of science in textbooks to sustain science interest. CBE Life Science Education, 19:ar 24, 1-13. doi: 10.1187/cbe.19-09-0176

Jackson, M.C.,*Leal, C.C., Thoman, D.B., & Zambrano, J. (2019). Talking about science interest: The importance of feedback appraisals when students talk about their interest in STEM. Social Psychology of Education, 22, 149-167. doi: 10.1007/s11218-018-9469-3

Thoman, D.B., Lee, G.A., Zambrano, J., Geerling, D.M., Smith, J.L., & Sansone, C. (2019). Social influences of interest: Conceptualizing group differences in education through a self-regulation of motivation model. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 22, 330-355. doi: 10.1177/1368430219838337

Hulleman, C.S., Thoman, D.B., Dicke, A.L., & Harackiewicz, J.M. (2017). The promotion and development of interest: The importance of perceived values. In P.A. O’Keefe & J.M. Harackiewicz (Eds.) The Science of Interest (pp. 189-208). Springer.