Understanding the Impact of a Low-Commitment Scientific Innovation Modules on Undergraduate Biology Students’ Grit, Retention, Biology Interest, and Biology Self-Efficacy
Author
Weinthal, Elliot
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Abstract
Introducing innovation courses to engineering and computer science has been shown to increase retention and interest in the discipline. These courses have generally been high commitment, in that they take place over an entire semester or more, and often add additional requirements to a degree program. However, the impacts of innovation interventions have not been explored in biology undergraduates with respect to grit, retention, biology interest, and biology self-efficacy. The impact of the duration and workload of the intervention have also not been evaluated. This study examined whether introducing scientific innovation modules increased the grit, retention, biology interest, and biology self-efficacy of undergraduate biology students.
Online modules that took approximately 20 minutes per week over four weeks were added to the learning management system for an introductory biology lab course and a course on Careers in Biology. Both courses contained students from a variety of science majors, including both Biology Bachelor of Science (Biology BS) and Biology Bachelor of Arts (Biology BA) students. Half of the students in each course completed online modules on scientific innovation while the other half completed modules on financial literacy as a comparison group.
This mixed-methods study used pre- and post- surveys, institutional data, and interviews to test four hypotheses: exposure to a scientific innovation course would increase biology undergraduates’ i) grit, ii) retention, iii) biology interest, and iv) biology self-efficacy. The survey included the Short Grit Scale (GRIT-S), Brief Index of Student Retention (BISR), Biology Self-Efficacy Scale for Nonmajors, and a custom scale to measure biology interest. Institutional data (intended/declared major, course schedule, and grades) were collected to determine if students dropped the major, left the university, or discontinued the biology sequence. Exit interviews were also conducted to determine students’ opinions and any effects that may not show up in the quantitative data.
Pre- and post- survey results (N=139) do not support the hypotheses, with no significant main effects of group (completion of treatment vs comparison modules) or interactions between group and time (indicating an impact after the intervention but not before) but other interesting effects were observed. Overall, students in the Careers in Biology course responded to the treatment as hypothesized whereas students in the introductory biology lab course (mainly Biology BS) students did not respond as predicted. Underrepresented minority students responded positively to the treatment with respect to biology interest, supporting the established notion that showing these students how to apply their knowledge and help their community increases interest in the major. Another interesting finding is that students generally lost interest in biology over the course of the semester but students who expressed an interest in entrepreneurship did not experience this loss of interest in biology. Institutional data showed that pre- scores for biology self-efficacy were significantly lower for those who later ended up failing a course that semester than those who did not fail During the interviews, students articulated that they preferred to be exposed to scientific innovation and diverse career options during their freshman or sophomore years., Job satisfaction and helping the world were also important factors for choosing their major.
This study provides insight into the impacts low-commitment innovation courses on biology undergraduates. While the hypotheses were not supported, the observed effects may inform the development of programs to foster grit, retention, interest, and self-efficacy as well as future scientific innovation courses for biology undergraduates.
Date
2023-07-21
Citation:
APA:
Weinthal, Elliot.
(July 2023).
Understanding the Impact of a Low-Commitment Scientific Innovation Modules on Undergraduate Biology Students’ Grit, Retention, Biology Interest, and Biology Self-Efficacy
(Master's Thesis, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship.
(http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13154.)
MLA:
Weinthal, Elliot.
Understanding the Impact of a Low-Commitment Scientific Innovation Modules on Undergraduate Biology Students’ Grit, Retention, Biology Interest, and Biology Self-Efficacy.
Master's Thesis. East Carolina University,
July 2023. The Scholarship.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13154.
June 30, 2024.
Chicago:
Weinthal, Elliot,
“Understanding the Impact of a Low-Commitment Scientific Innovation Modules on Undergraduate Biology Students’ Grit, Retention, Biology Interest, and Biology Self-Efficacy”
(Master's Thesis., East Carolina University,
July 2023).
AMA:
Weinthal, Elliot.
Understanding the Impact of a Low-Commitment Scientific Innovation Modules on Undergraduate Biology Students’ Grit, Retention, Biology Interest, and Biology Self-Efficacy
[Master's Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University;
July 2023.
Collections
Publisher
East Carolina University
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