Date of Award

5-12-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Higher Education

Advisor(s)

Jason Wiles

Keywords

Higher Education;Peer learning;Peer-Led Team Learning;Science Identity;STEM Education;Underserved Students

Abstract

Science identity can be described as the part of oneself that relates to science, and is made up of four components: competence, performance, recognition, and interest. Science identity is important because students who have a strong science identity tend to persist longer in STEM majors and are more likely to attain a scientific career post-graduation than students with a weak science identity. Despite its importance for undergraduate persistence and career attainment, many students struggle to identify as a scientist, especially those who belong to groups that have historically been underserved in STEM. Therefore, exploring the ability of course-based interventions to strengthen students’ science identities could be a fruitful way to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in STEM education. In this dissertation, I explore the potential of two course-based interventions, Introduction to Primary Literature (IPL) courses and Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), for promoting identification with science in a population of undergraduate biology students. IPL courses are seminar-style courses in which students read, discuss, and write about primary literature in order to familiarize themselves with the products of science and scientific methods of communication. I found that participating in an IPL course is associated with increases in student competence and interest in conducting research by exposing them to the true nature of science. These results support the implementation of IPL courses as a way to promote students’ identification with science, however, IPL courses may be limited in the size of impact they can have because of the small number of students they can serve during any given semester. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), is a well-studied active learning pedagogy that can be implemented within the context of large-enrollment courses, and therefore has potential to serve a large number of students. During a PLTL workshop, students work collaboratively to solve a set of course content related problems under the guidance of a peer leader who succeeded in the course during a previous semester. I found that participation in PLTL was associated with increased recognition pre- to post-course for all students in the course, particularly for women, URM students, and first-generation college students. I also found that collaborative group work is the most salient aspect of PLTL in terms of promoting science identity development. Cumulatively, this work adds to the body of literature documenting the plethora of benefits that participating in IPL courses and PLTL programs can have for undergraduate students. I present evidence that participating in these programs can have positive impacts on undergraduate students’ science identities. As such, my work supports the use of IPL courses and PLTL programs as course-based interventions that promote DEI in undergraduate STEM education.

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Open Access

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