Sense of belonging helps high school students engage with STEM

Date:
March 3, 2022
Source:
North Carolina State University
Summary:
A new study finds one key to promoting STEM education, and to making
students feel capable of working on STEM subjects outside of the
classroom, is to find ways to make classrooms feel more inclusive.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study from North Carolina State University finds that one key
to promoting STEM education, and to making students feel capable of
working on STEM subjects outside of the classroom, is to find ways to
make classrooms feel more inclusive.


==========================================================================
"We found that kids who feel their high school STEM classrooms are
inclusive are more likely to feel like they belong," says Kelly Lynn
Mulvey, first author of a paper on the work and an associate professor
of psychology at NC State.

"That sense of belonging makes them more likely to engage in the
classroom and more likely to feel like they can use STEM to tackle
real-world problems.

"We need workers in the STEM workforce, and we know that high school is
when interest in STEM subjects declines for many students. We launched
this study because we wanted to evaluate the role inclusivity may play
in how students view STEM." Inclusivity, in this context, refers to
the extent to which students feel a classroom is welcoming to different
genders and ethnic groups.

For the study, researchers conducted in-depth surveys of 523 students
from five high schools: 34.2% of study participants identified as White/European- American; 33.4% as Black/African-American; 10.5% as Latino/Latina/Latine; 13.4% as biracial or other; and 8.5% of participants chose not to report their race/ ethnicity. Meanwhile, 49.4% of study participants identified as female; 36.3% as male; 2.1% non-binary; 1.1%
as unsure; and 11.1% chose not to report their gender identity.

In the survey, students were asked questions aimed at assessing how
inclusive they felt their STEM classrooms were; the extent to which
STEM teachers treated them unfairly; and the extent to which they felt
like they personally belonged in their STEM classes. A separate set of questions in the survey assessed the extent to which students engaged
with their STEM classes, and the extent to which students felt they could
help solve real-world STEM problems in their communities. Examples of real-world STEM problems included lead contamination in drinking water
and a lack of access to recycling facilities.



========================================================================== "Most students felt their classrooms were inclusive, and that teachers
treated them fairly," Mulvey says. "However, the further students had progressed through high school, the less likely they were to view their
STEM classrooms as inclusive, and the more likely they were to perceive
unfair treatment from their teachers. That was true regardless of race
and gender." The researchers also found that the less fair a student
felt their teacher was, the more likely the student was to avoid engaging
in the class.

"Similarly, students who felt classrooms wereinclusive were more likely
to feel that they belonged, increasing both their classroom engagement
and their sense of being empowered to address STEM issues in their communities," Mulvey says.

"In practical terms, this study highlights the fact that feeling like
you belong matters. And the way to promote belonging is to make kids
feel like their classrooms are inclusive. For example, teachers can take
steps to make sure all students feel involved and discuss scientists
from backgrounds that reflect the backgrounds of the students.

"These findings are a first step, since this is an ongoing, longitudinal study," Mulvey says. "We will continue to partner with teachers in
the district to promote feelings of inclusion and belonging, and hope
to identify additional ways to support students." Another variable
researchers will look at is the role COVID-19 and remote learning may
have played in affecting study outcomes. For example, the data in this
study was collected when many students were attending school online.

"While the students reported high levels of inclusivity and low levels
of unfair treatment on this survey, we want to see whether that changes
now that students are all attending school in person again," Mulvey says.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Matt Shipman. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kelly Lynn Mulvey, Channing Mathews, Jerica Knox, Angelina Joy,
Jaqueline
Cerda‐Smith. The role of inclusion, discrimination, and
belonging for adolescent Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
engagement in and out of school. Journal of Research in Science
Teaching, 2022; DOI: 10.1002/tea.21762 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220303120739.htm

--- up 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)