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ERIC Number: ED662231
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 185
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3840-4041-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Growth Mindset Matters: An Explanatory Sequential Study on the Underrepresented Minority Student Experience in a Community College Introductory Science Classroom
John Brodney Fitzgerald
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Baylor University
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) fields face challenges with underrepresented minority (URM) student achievement and retention. White students earned 59% of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering, while LatinX and African American students earned 16% and 9% respectively (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2019). Females earned 39% of all STEM bachelor's degrees in 2021-2022 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024). A University of California campus study discovered that while 33.4% of URM students initially chose a science major, only 24.6% graduated with a science degree within five years (Arcidiacono et al., 2016). A study conducted by Koch et al. (2022) revealed that the persistence in the STEM major was higher for males (65%) than females (48%). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between ethnicity and gender with students' attitudes toward STEM, student career interest in STEM, and student growth mindset. The quantitative phase measured STEM interest using the STEM Semantics Survey, STEM career interest with the STEM Career Interest Survey (CIS), and the growth mindset belief utilizing Dweck's Mindset Instrument (DMI). The qualitative phase examined student experiences in an introductory science class. The integration involved explaining students' STEM attitudes and growth mindset beliefs in terms of their classroom experiences. In the quantitative phase, ethnicity and gender were not statistically significant predictors of my participants' feelings about STEM courses, STEM career interests, or the growth mindset belief of community college students. Participant interviews revealed that misconceptions contributed to class struggles, positive influences provided motivation, and prior experiences helped understand the class expectations. The integration revealed no alignment between the quantitative and qualitative data for the STEM Semantics Survey, but some alignment for the STEM Career Interest Survey and Dweck's Mindset Instrument was present. The study provided recommendations for URM STEM community college students including communication with peers and professors and finding support programs to build community opportunities. The recommendations for STEM professors include explaining expectations to students during the first week of classes, sharing real-world examples to connect with students, and providing a welcoming environment for students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A