Bridging key research dilemmas: Quantitative research using a critical eye

This chapter serves as a guide for quantitative researchers who seek to approach their research questions critically.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56004/1/202_ftp.pd

La educación superior para el desarrollo humano y social en Estados Unidos

El objetivo de educar a los ciudadanos para el servicio público se remonta a la fundación de la primera escuela universitaria en América. Cabe destacar que, en los últimos años, se ha vuelto a dar una gran importancia a la idea de que la educación superior debe formar a los ciudadanos para la complejidad de una democracia pluralista y un mundo interdependiente desde el punto de vista económico, social y cultural. Sin embargo, dados los nuevos retos a los que actualmente se enfrenta la educación superior norteamericana, resulta apropiado reflexionar sobre hasta qué punto las instituciones adoptan un enfoque integral en la promoción de la transformación social y hasta qué punto contribuyen al desarrollo humano y social. El objetivo de este artículo es polemizar sobre los argumentos de las contribuciones de la educación superior americana, reflexionar sobre sus nuevos retos y destacar unos nuevos aspectos de la actividad institucional que impulsan tanto la formación del estudiante como el progreso de la sociedad.Peer Reviewe

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses.

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students' levels of academic engagement are discussed

Premedical Students' Orientation toward Education: Challenges for the Pipeline into Medical School

This longitudinal study examined whether premedical students' educational orientation contributed to their chances of completing a STEM degree. Two different orientations were tested; a narrow one grounded by interests in obtaining status and a more expansive orientation grounded by interests in engaging with a broader set of learning goals and communities. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's 2004 Freshman Survey (TFS) and 2008 College Senior Survey (CSS). The main analyses included 613 students who reported interest in pursuing a medical degree and identified physician as their probable career. The findings indicate that students who identified with a more expansive educational orientation were significantly less likely to persist in a STEM major four years after entering college, even after controlling for relevant student background characteristics and college experiences. Implications for the medical profession are discussed.Educatio

College impact, student impact: A reconsideration of the role of students within American higher education

American college students tend to be viewed in terms of inputs and outcomes, due in part to the assessment movement and long-standing interest in college impact. A more complete view is one in which the relationship between students and the college environment is both reciprocal and dynamic. This ecological perspective portrays students as actively shaping their educational environments, with these environments simultaneously providing the potential for transforming the individual. Data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) are used to explore the ecological perspective.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42837/1/10734_2005_Article_BF01384097.pd

The Role of assessment in furthering student engagement, inclusion, and achievement

Mary Allen, consultant in higher education; Sylvia Hurtado, professor and director of the Higher Education Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles; and Patricia Iannuzzi, dean of libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas address the characteristics of quality assessment and review the assessment of information literacy. They highlight selected large-scale and course-based longitudinal assessments by the Higher Education Research Institute

Navigating difficult discourse: Understanding faculty strategies for challenging teaching situations

Using critical pedagogy as a guide, we illuminate how educators can approach teaching in a way that humanizes students and encourages the examination of oppressive practices and ideologies through discourse centered on difficult topics. Presenters will offer insights from a large-scale mixed-methods study of faculty preparation for dealing with difficult situations in their courses and supporting students with complex concerns. This session will provide evidence-based practices and strategies to support the work of faculty and faculty developers in dealing with difficult situations involving incivility, disclosure of sensitive information, sexual assault, mental health, and other challenging topics

Difficult Discourse and Critical Pedagogies: A Large-Scale Mixed-Methods Exploration of Faculty Practice

Using critical pedagogy as our framework, this study’s purpose is to explore faculty members’ ability to engage in difficult discourse with their students and their use of related critical pedagogies. The findings come from a large-scale multi-institution mixed-methods study to provide guidance for faculty to participate in this work

Students' Precollege Preparation for Participation in a Diverse Democracy

This study focuses on how students' precollege experiences predisposed them to 3 democratic outcomes: (a) ability to see the world from someone else's perspective; (b) beliefs that conflict enhances democracy; and (c) views about the importance of engaging in social action activities. We analyzed data from 3 flagship universities as part of a nationally funded research project and found first-year females are more likely than males to report values and beliefs consistent with democratic outcomes. Participation in race/ethnic discussions, student clubs, and volunteer work, as well as studying with students of different groups and discussing controversial issues are significant predictors in each model. Results also indicate that students might be unprepared to negotiate conflict in a diverse democracy, suggesting that college engagement will play a key role in fostering the development of democratic citizenship. This study also provides new measures of democratic outcomes to assess the impact of diversity and service learning initiatives.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43626/1/11162_2004_Article_368191.pd

Improving Underrepresented Minority Student Persistence in STEM.

Members of the Joint Working Group on Improving Underrepresented Minorities (URMs) Persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-convened by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-review current data and propose deliberation about why the academic "pathways" leak more for URM than white or Asian STEM students. They suggest expanding to include a stronger focus on the institutional barriers that need to be removed and the types of interventions that "lift" students' interests, commitment, and ability to persist in STEM fields. Using Kurt Lewin's planned approach to change, the committee describes five recommendations to increase URM persistence in STEM at the undergraduate level. These recommendations capitalize on known successes, recognize the need for accountability, and are framed to facilitate greater progress in the future. The impact of these recommendations rests upon enacting the first recommendation: to track successes and failures at the institutional level and collect data that help explain the existing trends