Beyond the Money: Mentoring Activities in Support of Two-Year College STEM Majors

This paper describes a summit on Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape organized by a committee of the National Research Council (NRC) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and held at the Carnegie Institution for Science on December 15, 2011. This summit followed a similar event organized by Dr. Jill Biden, spouse of the Vice President, and held at the White House in October 2010, which sought to bring national attention to the changing missions and purposes of community colleges in contemporary American society.1 The NRC/NAE event built on the White House summit, while focusing on the changing roles of community colleges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. An in-depth summary of the summit was prepared by the NRC and NAE for publication in late Spring 2012 by the National Academies Press (NRC and National Academy of Engineering, 2012 ). This paper provides a synopsis of that report, which is available at www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13399, and emphasizes how we can use the report to improve STEM education for our students, but also how much progress still needs to be made to realize this ideal.

Can Parentss Growth Mindset and Role Modelling Address STEM Gender Gaps?

Various studies try to disentangle the gender-specific competencies or decisions that lead to a career in a STEM field and try to find a way to encourage more women to pursue this kind of career. The present study examines differences in the meaning of work (i.e., their professional goal orientation) of students who are enrolled in STEM or non-STEM programs in tertiary education. Based on the background that gender stereotypes associate women and men with communal or agentic roles respectively, we expected that women in STEM subjects differ in their professional goal orientation from women in non-STEM programs. More precisely, women who are enrolled in a STEM major are expected to be less oriented to social and communal goal orientations than women in non-STEM university programs. In a sample of 5,857 second-year university students of the German National Educational Panel Study, three profiles of professional goal orientation were confirmed in a latent profile analysis. As expected, women were more oriented toward social aspects of occupations, whereas men more likely belonged to a profile with high importance for economic aspects of occupations. Moreover, students enrolled in STEM programs more likely belonged to the profile of economic goal orientation. There was, however, no interaction of gender and STEM program: Women in STEM fields did not differ in their occupational goal orientation from women enrolled in non-STEM programs. Based on these findings and on a goal congruity perspective, future interventions aiming at overcoming the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields should consider the individual meaning of work and the goals that are associated with STEM occupations.

The present study considers social-cognitive theory constructs associated with implicit theories of intelligence and achievement goal theory concerning the academic achievement of first-time college students. We examined growth and entity mindsets along with mastery learning, performance-approach and performance-avoidance achievement goals in relation to academic achievement. Furthermore, social-cognitive theory predications were examined to determine whether achievement goals mediated relationships between growth and entity mindsets and academic achievement. We randomly sampled 2,000 college students from a large research-intensive public university in the United States; of which 839 students provided complete data. Using an online survey, we collected self-reported baseline measures of students' implicit theories of intelligence and achievement goal orientations. We matched data from these measures with two years of college Grade Point Average (GPA). Multiple regression analyses of the baseline data partially supported the hypothesized relationships between growth and entity mindsets with learning and performance goal orientations. A growth mindset was a positive predictor of the mastery of learning goal orientation. Unexpectedly, mastery learning positively predicted both performance goal orientations, but relative to entity mindset was a weaker predictor of performance-avoidance goal orientation. Longitudinal analysis with college GPA as the dependent variable found growth mindset negatively predicted end of year two GPA. This relationship was moderated by mastery goal orientation with greater levels of mastery goal orientation associated with a larger negative relationship between growth mindset and end of year two GPA. Furthermore, the growth mindset by mastery goal orientation by time interaction was statistically significant with students either high in both or low in both experiencing lower GPA over time. Exploration of the mediation hypotheses was partially supported by path analysis. Implications for theory, practice and further research are discussed.

The aims of this research were: (1) to test the difference of self regulated learning based on goal orientation of senior high school students in Yogyakarta, (2) to test difference of self regulated learning based on causal attribution of senior high school students in Yogyakarta, (3) to test difference of self regulated learning based on interaction between goal orientation and causal attribution of high school students in Yogyakarta. Participants were 488 Grade XI students of SMA Negeri ”A” Bantul, SMA Negeri “B” Bantul, SMA Negeri “C” Sanden, and SMA Negeri “D” Bambanglipuro. Data were collected using self regulated learning scale, mastery goal orientation scale, performance goal orientation scale, causal attribution scale of success, and causal attribution scale of failure. The data were analyzed using the technique of analysis of variance. The results suggest that: (1) there is significant difference of self regulated learning based on goal orientation (F=36.814 p=0.000), (2) there is significant difference of self regulated learning based on causal attribution of success (F=31.081 p=0.000), (3) there is significant difference of self regulated learning based on causal attribution of failure (F=21.837 p=0.000), 4) there is significant difference of self regulated learning based on interaction between goal orientation and causal attribution of success (F=2.983 p=0.031), and 5) there is no significant difference of self regulated learning based on interaction between goal orientation and causal attribution of failure (F=2.444 p=0.063) Keywords: self regulated learning, mastery goal orientation, performance goal orientation, causal attribution of success, causal attribution of failure

Over the last six academic years (2005-2012), #### University (#####) has experienced a major increase in the number of first-time-in college, first-generation, Hispanic students from the Texas Panhandle choosing to major in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This underrepresented population of STEM majors at ##### has increased by 152% from 103 to 260 which is considerably higher than the overall increase in STEM students (56%) and the overall increase in the Hispanic student population at ##### (64%). This rapid growth greatly outpaces the increase in the regional K-12 Hispanic population, which is 20.13% since 2005. Because of the national need for a diverse STEM workforce and the rapidly growing Hispanic population of Texas as well as in the rest of the country, it is imperative that we understand what is occurring to spur this increase in Hispanic STEM student enrollment. The majority of the research conducted on factors that influence Hispanic student choice of institution and STEM major, and factors which influence their success has been conducted using sample student populations from primarily urban populations. Little research has investigated the rural Hispanic student population. The predominantly young Hispanic population is rapidly migrating across the country, including the rural U.S. and spurring population increases with high birth-to-death ratios. If, as the research indicates Hispanic students are choosing postsecondary institutions due to proximity to family, cost and size of the institution, then the impact of rural regional institutions will be substantial in the immediate future. The goal of this exploratory, two-phase, sequential mixed methods study is to develop testable hypotheses about the sources of the large recent increases in Hispanic student enrollments in STEM fields of the Texas Panhandle region as well to offer recommendations about how this growth can be supported and enhanced. In the first phase and primary focus of this proposal, the choice of STEM major and institution and elements influencing this choice will be initially explored using qualitative interviews to develop a grounded theory to explain the significant increase of Hispanic STEM students enrolled at #####. The results of the qualitative analysis will lead to a quantitative investigation that will develop and test a survey instrument designed to verify the initial qualitative results and measure the relationship between influences identified by the rural Hispanic students. Identification of the predominant influences on the growth of rural, first generation Hispanic students in STEM fields can transform the strategies used for the recruitment and retention nationwide. As Hispanic students continue to choose institutions that are close to home and family, the importance of regional institutions in expanding the STEM pipeline will grow. This exploratory study will lead to identification of current phenomena in the dramatic increase that has been elucidated in Texas and through dissemination to K-12 education, STEM education, and higher education administration, spur future research on Hispanic STEM student success and education.

This research programme investigated the incremental development of knowledge, skills and attitudes underpinning self-regulated learning gains. Findings propose tools enabling learners, educators, and researchers to measure and understand self-regulated changes during learning. These marginal gains support the evaluative judgement that is necessary within, and beyond, Higher Education (Ajjawi, Tai, Dawson, & Boud, 2018). In support of a first aim, two behaviourally anchored rating scales were developed and validated to bolster understanding of goal setting, and feedback integration in tertiary learners. A second aim considered how self-efficacy supported integration of feedback during post-task appraisal, and further how such evaluations contribute to goal setting. Third, the role of achievement goal theory perspectives, mindsets and goal orientations, in supporting incremental gains was also examined. A fourth aim examined the contribution of self-regulatory factors including mindsets, self-efficacy, and goal setting to medium and longer term outcomes, including grades, and employability perceptions. Supporting the first aim, a linear path through five learner endorsed factors underpinned feedback integration. Learners who accepted feedback reported that the source of feedback provided credible challenge. Information from a credible source led to learners reporting greater awareness, and in turn increased motivational intentions. Motives led to learners reporting behavioural changes and developmental actions. The GLS established two learner endorsed goal setting factors, goal clarity and goal difficulty; factors reported moderate covariance. In a second aim, as in the first, the same linear path was seen to motivational intentions. In later analysis paths diverged with motives also predicting higher levels of self-efficacy. Efficacy beliefs in turn predicted clearer goals. Clear goals led to greater feedback awareness in learners. Findings support the cyclical nature of self-regulated learning. A growth mindset, mastery approach goal orientations, and to some extent performance approach orientations contributed in unique ways to self-regulation. Findings also largely supported an earlier approach and the third aim. For the fourth aim, self-regulatory variables did not predict grades. However, mindsets, self-efficacy, and goal setting were related to, and supported, aspects of longer term perceptions of employability. The self-regulatory factors indicated may therefore act as a useful proxy of developing confidence in undergraduate learners, beyond grades. In conclusion, findings from the current programme support self-efficacy and goal setting as key variables to track in developing self- regulated learning. For example, self-efficacy supports clear goals and increasing levels of awareness in responding to feedback. Additionally, goal setting and self-efficacy support learner perceptions of employability. Mindsets and goal orientations strengthened learner development in nuanced ways. Learners, educators and researchers should utilise these findings and supporting methods to identify and intervene in sub-optimal learning approaches. Replication in larger samples, and in other educational domains and geographies should be undertaken to bolster support for the approach reported here.

IntroductionHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play a critical role in the educational experiences of African Americans. Of the top 20 leading producers of African American bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, all but three are HBCUs (Borden & Brown 2004). In 2010, HBCUs were the source of 17.6% of all bachelor's degrees to African Americans but 19.2% of the bachelor's degrees to African Americans in STEM fields. HBCUs are also a relatively more important source of STEM degrees for African American women than African American men. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF, 2013), 15.8% of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to African American women in 2010 were from HBCUs, compared to only 14.5% of bachelor degrees in STEM fields awarded to African American men. Coupled with these findings is the large number of African American women enrolled in our nation's community colleges. According to NSF (2013), there has been almost a 50% increase of African American females at community colleges. This insinuates that a large portion of African American female STEM talent will be entering the HBCU environment through the community college environment. For the purpose of this study Black and African American will be used interchangeably throughout.Given the aforementioned statistics on the underrepresentation of African American females in math- and science-related areas, and the role of community colleges and HBCUs in the success of African American females, it is surprising that the literature is bleak regarding the representation of African American female community college transfer students who are enrolled at HBCUs and their overall experiences as a transfer student in STEM. In fact, Hawkins (2013) asserted that according to the Association of American Community Colleges and the Center for the Study of Community Colleges data on the number of community college students who transfer to HBCUs aren't tracked (para. 13). With a large representation of African American students entering four-year HBCUs through the community college environment, examining and exploring the experiences of this population will assist in highlighting factors that positively impact their successful transfer from the community college into the four-year HBCU environment. This study draws attention to a very unique population-African American female community college transfer students in STEM disciplines at a four-year HBCU.The literature is explicit regarding the need to increase the representation of students of color in STEM in the United States. This urgency emerges from the current shortage of competent individuals in math- and science-related fields. The projection that minorities will represent about half of the resident United States population by 2050 (Ortman & Guameri, 2009) makes this population a viable option for fulfilling many of the jobs in the STEM workforce. Even with this urgency, completion rates for African-American, Hispanic, Native American and low-income students are lower than the overall numbers in STEM-related areas (Bailey & Alfonso, 2005, p. 5). This indicates that we are losing a very talented population of students of color at every educational level and in many STEM content areas. Additionally, the National Science Foundation revealed that female and minority students are behind compared to their male and race majority counterparts in achieving degrees in the STEM areas (NSF, 2013). More specifically, female participation in engineering and computer science remains below 30% and since 2000, the representation of underrepresented minorities has remained flat in the physical sciences and has dropped in mathematics (NSF, 2013).Using the Triple Quandary Theory (Boykin & Toms,1985) and its interplay among three tenets: (a) mainstream experience, (b) Black cultural socialization and (c) the minority socialization experience; the purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of seven African American community college female transfer students who are currently enrolled at an HBCU in a STEM bachelor's degree program. …

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the relationship between growth mindset and self-regulated learning as perceived by adult learners enrolled in a distance university and whether the mediating effect is moderated by perceived task value. Methods For this purpose, 274 adult learners (56 males and 218 females) aged 20 years and above enrolled in C cyber university were administered the growth mindset, academic self-efficacy, task value, and self-regulated learning tests online. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and SPSS PROCESS Macro version 4.2 to test for mediation and moderated mediation effects, and to test the significance of indirect effects using the bootstrapping method. Results First, the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the relationship between growth mindset and self-regulated learning was significant, i.e., the higher the growth mindset, the higher the academic self-efficacy, and the more actively students engaged in self-regulated learning. Second, the moderated mediation effect of perceived task value revealed that the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the relationship between growth mindset and self-regulated learning depends on the level of perceived task value, i.e., the higher the level of perceived task value of the learning content, the higher the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy on the relationship between growth mindset and self-regulated learning. Conclusions This study showed that adult learners with a growth mindset have higher academic self-efficacy, which leads to higher levels of self-regulated learning, and that the positive effect of academic self-efficacy on self-regulated learning may be greater when they have a higher perceived task value for the subject matter they are learning. Therefore, it is recommended that teaching and learning strategies and programs that simultaneously increase growth mindset, academic self-efficacy, and perceived task value should be developed to promote self-regulated learning among adult learners at distance universities.

Delays in meeting math requirements can impede the progress among community college students who aspire to earn a baccalaureate degree. To investigate this issue, we used state administrative data from Texas to examine the prevalence and predictors of math course repetition and how math course repetition predicts transfer students' outcomes. More than a third of community college transfer students take additional introductory mathematics coursework despite having fulfilled the requirement-a phenomenon we referred to as "horizontal repetition"-and one sixth of community college students take redundant coursework within a given mathematics course sequence, referred to as "vertical repetition." Using regression models controlling for student backgrounds, academic experiences, and institutional fixed effects, we found that horizontal repetition was linked to lower GPA and, among degree recipients, increased time to degree and excess credits. Vertical repetition was negatively associated with GPA and degree completion and positively linked to increased time to degree and excess credits. Location of course repetition shaped student outcomes, where math course repetitions occurring at the university appear to drive many of the negative associations between both horizontal and vertical repetition and student outcomes. As community colleges and universities across the country consider the efficacy of course sequences and transfer pathways, our research offers insights into patterns and implications of course repetition in core math courses.

Self-regulation is a crucial life skill. In particular, self-regulated learning (SRL) is an important factor in achieving academic success. Recent research has studied the association between SRL and growth mindset, a belief that emphasizes the importance of effort, perseverance, and the use of SRL strategies. Although recent research indicates positive associations, some findings are contradictory. This review systematically synthesized recent literature on the relationship between students’ growth mindset and SRL in educational settings (e.g., school, college and university students), based on 10 peer-reviewed empirical studies with 15 samples published in English between 2010 and 2023. The studies were coded using a coding scheme. All studies examined a direct relationship between a growth mindset and SRL. The results showed that having a growth mindset is positively associated with SRL strategies overall (r = 0.40). The systematic review then revealed that there are positive associations across all phases of SRL, although with substantial variation in the strengths of the association across studies (also supported by Q statistic, p < 0.001). The results further suggest that the operationalization of mindset measures and socioeconomic disadvantage may moderate the association between mindset and SRL; however, more research is needed on the moderating and mediating factors that affect the relationship between growth mindset and SRL strategy use. These findings suggest that promoting a growth mindset could be a promising factor in interventions designed to foster SRL. Future research could further explore this area of research by taking into account how different contexts and conditions influence this relationship, for example, whether this relationship vary for growth mindset in different school subjects.

This study examined the effect of a virtual growth mindset intervention in enhancing the perceived flexibility of intelligence and academic outcomes of community college students enrolled in corequisite math courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research suggests that growth mindset interventions can positively influence students’ beliefs about intelligence and academic performance, but effects may vary based on individual sociodemographic characteristics and college readiness. Employing a randomized pre-posttest design, this investigation assessed the impact of the intervention on students’ perceived intelligence flexibility and course grades for those enrolled in corequisite math courses. Results indicate a significant increase in growth mindset among participants in the intervention group. However, no significant differences in self-report course grades existed between the intervention and control groups. These findings underscore the complex relationship between growth mindset, academic performance, and contextual factors. The results call for further research to elucidate the long-term effects of growth mindset interventions for underprepared college students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to students’ learning processes in higher education. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a growth mindset on university students’ intention toward self-regulated learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical model was proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, along with two additional dimensions: growth mindset and perceived teacher support. The developed model was validated by adopting a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach based on the data collected from 486 students in universities that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The results show that students’ growth mindset is positively associated with their intention toward self-regulated learning directly, and indirectly through the main constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior: perceived behavioral control and behavior attitude. Additionally, the mediating and moderating roles of students’ growth mindset are manifest in the relationship between students’ perception of teacher support and their intention toward self-regulated learning. These findings offer implications for teachers, researchers, and higher education administrators in developing students’ growth mindset by considering the relevant factors explored in this research, thereby enhancing students’ self-regulated learning in challenging settings such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACTThis study explored the predictive roles of social expectations (i.e., community influence and social values) and perceived adults' growth mindsets (i.e., teachers' growth mindset and parents' growth mindset) on self‐regulated learning (SRL) strategy use and English learning achievement with 685 fourth to fifth graders in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling revealed that social values and community influence positively predicted SRL strategy use. Parents' and teachers' growth mindsets also positively predicted SRL strategy use which in turn positively predicted English learning achievement. Moreover, social values were positively associated with English learning achievement. Both social expectations and adults' growth mindsets were found to predict students' English learning achievement through the mediating effect of SRL strategy use which mediated the relationship between social values and English learning achievement, the relationship between community influence and English learning achievement, the relationship between teachers' growth mindset and English learning achievement, as well as the relationship between parents' growth mindset and English learning achievement. The findings highlight the importance of both social expectations and adults' growth mindsets on students' English learning. Importantly, parents and teachers should employ effective strategies to encourage students to exert effort in English learning.

IntroductionStudents pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors often struggle with essential skills critical to their academic success and future careers. Traditional self-regulated learning (SRL) training programs, while effective, require significant time investments from both students and instructors, limiting their feasibility in large lecture-based STEM courses.MethodsThis study investigates whether completion of three AI-powered virtual-human training modules—focused on planning, self-monitoring, and reflection—leads to increased use of corresponding MS Planner tools among STEM majors compared to a control group.ResultsResults indicate that students who did not complete the first two training modules were less likely to use MS Planner features for planning and self-monitoring; however, the reflection module did not yield comparable results.DiscussionThese findings highlight the potential of AI-powered virtual-human training as a scalable solution to enhance desirable learning behaviors among STEM majors, particularly in large and diverse classrooms. This research contributes to the understanding of effective interventions for fostering SRL behaviors in STEM education and suggests avenues for future refinement and implementation of digital training tools.