Exploring Latino/a college students’ transition experiences: An ethnography of social preparedness and familial support

This ethnographic case study examined first-year, first-generation, low-income Latino/a college students’ social experiences and familial support during their transition from a charter high school to four-year universities. Through interviews and observations, we found that maintaining communication and building relationships among high school and college peers, high school faculty and staff, and college professors were essential to navigating the educational system; also, having a family that supported their academic work to allow students to only focus on their coursework was important.     

Behaviour and misbehaviour of Latino children in a time of zero tolerance: mothers' views

Thirty‐eight Latin American mothers with young children tell of their perceptions of school discipline and comportment issues and talk of their children's encounters with ‘zero tolerance’ legislation, and related rules for conduct, implemented by the local school boards. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand: (a) parents' views of and concern about disciplinary practices at school; (b) parents' ideas about the connection between home and school discipline; and (c) parents' understanding of the officially prescribed consequences of behaviour identified as non‐tolerable. Implications of the findings are discussed with regard to professional practice.     

Personality traits and job exploration among Latino business students: An exploratory investigation

We examine the role of the Big Five personality traits in the job exploration process of Latino undergraduate business students to ascertain the personality traits and socio‐cognitive variables that lead to greater success of students in their job searches. We find that personalities such as extraversion and conscientiousness are positively associated with career self‐efficacy, career expectations, and interests in both academic and professional skills, which in turn positively influence job exploration behaviors. Additionally, we find that personalities such as agreeableness and neuroticism have a negative influence on career exploration behaviors. Our findings provide Latino business students with college vocational guidance that can help enhance their career confidence, job beliefs, and career interests in the job‐seeking process.     

Research-based education as a model to change the teaching and learning environment in STEM disciplines

This paper discusses the benefits and threats of promoting and reinforcing a research-based education environment to STEM undergraduate students. The paper explores the rationale for research-based education as a pedagogical driven approach, where undergraduate students learn through enquiry and discovery. Research evidence of a STEM case study conducted in an English university is then presented, which sheds light on how this institution and STEM research-active academics are fostering students’ learning in a research-based education environment, the constraints they face, and the pedagogical solutions they propose to empower students’ learning. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations aimed to raise the research-based education environment of STEM Faculties or Departments.     

Learning to teach STEM disciplines in higher education: a critical review of the literature

ABSTRACT

Enrolments in STEM disciplines at universities are increasing globally, attributed to the greater life opportunities open to students as a result of a STEM education. But while institutional access to STEM programmes is widening, the retention and success of STEM undergraduate students remains a challenge. Pedagogies that support student success are well known; what we know less about is how university teachers acquire pedagogical competence. This is the focus of this critical review of the literature that offers a theorised critique of educational development in STEM contexts. We studied the research literature with a view to uncovering the principles that inform professional development in STEM disciplines and fields. The key finding of this critical review is how little focus there is on the STEM disciplines. The majority of studies reviewed did not address the key issue of what makes the STEM disciplines difficult to learn and challenging to teach.     

Invalidated identities: The disconfirming effects of racial microaggressions on Black doctoral students in STEM

Black students face repeated racial microaggressions that may challenge their mental health and academic performance in engineering doctoral programs. Researchers attribute this to stereotypes and institutional climates that juxtapose their STEM and racial identities as incongruent. In this article, we analyzed the perceptions of environmental, behavioral, and verbal racial microaggressions of 33 Black doctoral students and postdocs, with a focus on their interactions with non-Black peers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Black doctoral students from 11 Predominantly White Institutions in the United States. To analyze the experiences of our participants, we utilized two theoretical frameworks: Racial microaggressions and identity nonverification. Across the interviews, participants described various forms of racial microaggressions that greatly challenged their sense of belonging and identities as engineers. This research affirms the need to develop initiatives at the departmental and institutional levels to encourage more inclusive spaces for diverse students in STEM doctoral programs and to combat the types of exclusionary practices found in this study.     

Viewing international students as state stimulus potential: current perceptions and future possibilities

In this difficult economic climate state policy makers are increasingly focused on higher education as an economic development tool. Many rust belt states are looking to transform themselves from a state dependent on manufacturing and agriculture to a more diverse knowledge based economy. Many nations use higher education as a catalyst for economic development but rarely has it been viewed as a more local state or province based initiative. Therefore, one often overlooked component of an integrated economic strategy is encouraging more international students to attend college in a particular state, as an economic development tool. International students not only add significantly to the local economy through direct expenditures, but enrich the experiences of domestic students. In addition, many international students remain in the community in which they were educated, adding a global dimension to existing firms, or in many cases, establishing a new entrepreneurial venture. As competition for students intensifies, and states look to find solutions to supplement their growing budget deficits, many more will be looking to promote their public universities to increase international student enrollment. Yet little is known about the perceptions of the two groups, international students and domestic students, who will be most directly impacted by the economic and public policy issues. Understanding the perceptions of international students is crucial to developing an effective marketing plan, while views of domestic students are also important as they shape the experiences of international students and influence public policy. The current study utilised a survey of more than 800 students to measure current students' perceptions in the following three areas: the state economy, impact of international students, and public policy and international students. Results suggest that domestic students are concerned about the state's economic future, have a positive perception of the economic benefits of international students, and support policies to increase international student enrollment. International students have more positive views of globalization and the positive economic impact of internationalization of education. In addition, international students have a positive perception of their experiences in the state, although many do not, at this time plan to stay in the state after graduation.     

Needs assessment in STEM disciplines: reliability,validity and factor structure of the Student Support Needs Scale (SSNS)

Retention is a major problem in most colleges and universities. High dropout rates, especially in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), have proved intractable despite the offering of supplemental instruction. A broad model of support systems that includes psychological factors is needed to address retention in STEM fields. The purpose of our study was to develop an instrument to identify the support needs of college students. We adapted the theoretical model of the performance pyramid to create a 48-item measure called the Student Support Needs Scale. We examined the psychometric properties of our scale by subjecting the measure to a principal component analysis, which resulted in a robust 36-item, six-factor solution. Finally, we established the reliability and validity of the resulting instrument. Once student needs have been assessed using our scale, interventions may be tailored to the needs of a minority group, discipline, geographic area and/or institution. This instrument could help university programmes to make informed decisions about resource allocation based on students’ needs.     

Small fish in a small pond: the impact of collaborative learning on academic success for less-prepared students in a highly selective STEM environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines academic outcomes for university students engaged in a supplemental peer learning program in a selective institution. Using a matched sample of 1266 students, half enrolled in the supplemental program and half not enrolled, we find that participating students on average earned higher grades in linked courses. Using a subsample of students in a chemistry course sequence, we find program participants were more likely to remain in the sequence than non-participants, and that the impact was greater for students with lower levels of preparation.     

Reducing subjectivity in special education referrals by educators working with Latino students: using functional behavioral assessment as a pre-referral practice in student support teams

Over the past several decades, the Latino population throughout the USA has demonstrated significant growth and exceeded that of other ethnic minority groups. This influx is particularly evident in the student enrollment of US schools as the number of Latino students has increased by approximately 10 million within the past 10 years. With this dramatic increase, there are a number of critical issues that present significant barriers to a high-quality educational experience for Latino students, specifically overrepresentation of Latinos receiving disciplinary actions and the high number of referrals to special education evaluation for emotional and behavioral disorders. This paper will discuss the impact of the Latino population in US schools, the concern of overrepresentation and biased referrals, and the use of a culturally attuned functional behavioral assessment as a pragmatic solution to better serve this growing population.     

Unpacking academic requirements: international students in Management and Education disciplines

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative case study that explores how international students in different disciplines struggle to interpret their disciplinary requirements. The study shows the emergence of five main forms of unpacking academic expectations that individual students in the study employed. It will be argued that these international students appear to be active and capable of drawing on various strategies and problem‐solving skills in order to take control of their academic life and enable them to participate in the academic practices of their discipline. The students' experiences also indicate that the interaction and dialogue they establish with their lecturers plays a significant role in their success in the course.     

The role of non-formal contexts in teacher education for STEM: the case of horno3 science and technology interactive centre

Abstract

Teacher education can benefit directly from experiences in non-formal settings. This article presents a research study with elementary teachers who were teaching in public schools in the state of Nuevo León, México, and participated in a STEM Continuous Professional Development (CPD) workshop. The workshop provided a platform for teachers to interact with scientists and disseminators of science, allowing the appropriation of scientific knowledge applied to everyday activities and settings. Participants improved the quality of their teaching practices in classrooms and gained a new understanding of STEM subjects, enabling them to promote inspiring learning experiences with their students, where dialogue, experimentation and elucidation became an important part of their lessons. The study was carried out using ethnographic tools for analysing recorded videos, 15 sets of field notes, and 49 questionnaires. The sequential analysis of talk and gestures in their participation in the CPD workshop demonstrated high levels of involvement, creativity, and collaborative solution of STEM problems.     

Science adjustment,parental and teacher autonomy support and the cognitive orientation of science students

Research has shown that autonomy support has positive effects on academic development, but no study has examined how systemising cognitive orientation is related to important outcomes for science students, and how it may interact with autonomy support. This prospective investigation considered how systemising and support from teachers and parents influence motivation, self-efficacy and science performance of science students. Totally, two hundred and eighty eight high school students (143 females and 145 males) completed surveys at two times and records of their achievements were collected. Teachers’ autonomy support and systemising were significantly positively related to motivation, self-efficacy and achievement over time, while parental support for autonomy was not directly related to the outcomes. Finally, two significant interaction effects showed that the relation of parental autonomy support to motivation and self-efficacy was moderated by systemising. This is the first study to demonstrate that autonomy support may be especially helpful for individuals with an intrinsic disposition in a domain.     

Supportive classrooms for Latino English language learners: Grit,ELL status,and the classroom context

Students' academic achievement is the result of the interplay between person-level and contextual factors (R. R: Greene, 2014; D. E. Hunt, 1975). Students perform better when classroom characteristics support their characteristics. The authors examine whether student perceptions of two classroom characteristics (care and control) fit with two Latino student characteristics (English language learner status and grit) in relation to their academic achievement. Using a sample of fourth- and fifth-grade Latino students from the Measures of Effective Teaching dataset (n = 3,272), the authors conducted a series of nested regression models with two- and three-way interactions between student characteristics and student perceptions of classroom characteristics. Findings revealed that grit is most strongly associated with Latino English language learners’ English/language arts achievement when students perceived that teachers used high levels of care and control. We conclude with implications for practitioners.     

Changes in race and sex stereotype threat among diverse STEM students: Relation to grades and retention in the majors

In laboratory studies, induced stereotype threat shows negative effects on academic performance and learning. Is the relation between stereotype threat and grades robust in naturalistic settings, specifically in introductory STEM courses? We gathered data on two new measures we term race and sex stereotype bias, which were administered four times over the course of introductory chemistry and biology courses for STEM majors (N = 1358). Patterns of growth for all stereotype bias measures showed a discontinuous pattern, with increases during each semester (fall and spring) and decreases between semesters. For all stereotype bias measures, sophomores scored significantly higher than freshmen, and juniors scored in between. For the sex stereotype bias measure, females scored significantly higher than males. There were no race or sex differences on slopes of growth; though groups began at different levels, all grew at the same rate. There was little relation between grades and stereotype bias when analyzed by race; Asian students showed the largest number of significant – albeit small – correlations (3) and Black students the fewest (none). Correlations between grades and sex stereotype bias were significant and negative – but small – only for males. Results support a point made by Steele in 1997 but neglected since then; stereotype threat may affect only a small sub-portion within stereotyped groups. We argue that variables other than stereotype threat might be better targets for research attempting to explain gaps in STEM achievement and retention.     

Peer-Based Supplemental Instruction in STEM: Differences in Effectiveness Across Transfer and Nontransfer Undergraduates

Although there is a large body of research on the effectiveness of supplemental instruction for college undergraduates, very little of it has focused on transfer students, who often confront additional sources of stress and historically perform more poorly than their native student counterparts. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a peer-based supplemental instructional program in general and organic chemistry at a large state university over a six-year period, while considering differences across transfer and nontransfer students. The results suggest that the supplemental instruction improved outcomes overall but that nontransfer students benefit to a greater degree than transfer students, in the form of higher grades and pass rates, from attending supplemental instruction. The results suggest that peer-based supplemental instruction is a useful method to improve undergraduate student performance in chemistry, but more research is needed on ways to enhance the effectiveness of interventions in improving the performance of transfer undergraduate students in STEM fields.     

Threading mathematics through symbols,sketches, software,silicon, and wood: Teachers produce and maintain cohesion to support STEM integration

ABSTRACT

This classroom-based investigation sought to document how, in real time, STEM teachers and students attempt to locate the invariant mathematical relations that are threaded through the range of activities and representations in these classes, and how highlighting this common thread influences student participation and learning. The authors conducted multimodal discourse analyses of teacher–student interactions during multiday observations in 3 urban high school STEM classes. The focal lessons were in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering (within Project Lead the Way), and precollege geometry. Across 3 cases, teachers and students actively built and maintained cohesion of invariant mathematical relations across activities and representations. Pre- and postlesson interviews revealed that teachers intentionally managed cohesion to provide the continuity across the curricular activities that teachers believed would promote student understanding. The findings contribute to ways of fostering STEM integration and ways of grounding abstractions to promote meaning making and transfer.