Challenges and Opportunities for Promoting STEM Persistence Within Introductory Physics

Abstract

Student attrition in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs is a prevailing issue affecting academic institutions across the United States. This dissertation focuses on understanding the mechanisms relating to STEM persistence and highlights the opportunities to help promote student retention in these vital academic programs within introductory physics. Chapter 2 presents a comparative study of student persistence following both active-learning and traditional lecture formats for an introductory engineering physics 1 course. We found statistically higher rates of one-year persistence in the active-learning format compared with the lecture format. While a positive correlation existed, we could not see which students were being affected by the active-learning format and how. Thus, in the following study we collected social interaction data for a course using the same active-learning format to study how these dynamics shaped students’ sense of belonging which is understood to be an individual's feeling of connectedness or acceptance within a group—a known factor correlated with persisting in STEM. The interaction data showed that students in groups of two or more people that was configured such that they were interacting with every other person and others were interacting with them or strongly connected reported higher levels of sense of belonging than those who were isolated or not strongly connected. The final study discussed the development and implementation of a supplemental intervention for an introductory physics 1 course for life-science majors focusing on deliberate practice or effortful practice meant to refine a particular skill and just in time feedback which is immediate feedback after an action for real-time improvement. To quantify the efficacy of this intervention we compared the performance of students who attended versus those who did not on a standardized course final exam delivered by the physics department to see if we could measure any effect. Controlling for incoming preparation and social/psychological factors like self-efficacy and mindset towards intelligence, we found that students who attended the intervention performed better despite entering the course with lower self-efficacy and physics knowledge. Together, this work aims to expand our understanding on the mechanisms affecting STEM persistence and highlights opportunities and strategies within introductory physics to reduce student attrition.