Smaller Classes Promote Equitable Student Participation in STEM

Abstract As science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms in higher education transition from lecturing to active learning, the frequency of student interactions in class increases. Previous research documents a gender bias in participation, with women participating less than would be expected on the basis of their numeric proportions. In the present study, we asked which attributes of the learning environment contribute to decreased female participation: the abundance of in-class interactions, the diversity of interactions, the proportion of women in class, the instructor's gender, the class size, and whether the course targeted lower division (first and second year) or upper division (third or fourth year) students. We calculated likelihood ratios of female participation from over 5300 student–instructor interactions observed across multiple institutions. We falsified several alternative hypotheses and demonstrate that increasing class size has the largest negative effect. We also found that when the instructors used a diverse range of teaching strategies, the women were more likely to participate after small-group discussions.

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A smartphone game to prevent HIV among young Kenyans: local perceptions of mechanisms of effect

Health Education Research ◽

10.1093/her/cyaa011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 153-164

Author(s):

K Winskell ◽

G Sabben ◽

V Akelo ◽

K Ondeng’e ◽

I Odero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Debut ◽

Future Orientation ◽

Interactive Narrative ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Local Perceptions ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Electronic Games

Abstract Electronic games delivered via smartphones have the potential to become valuable tools in HIV prevention in high-prevalence and low-resource international settings. To ground theoretical elaboration around novel mHealth interventions in contextual realities, it is important to understand the mechanisms of their effects as perceived by local populations. Such perspectives are particularly important when working cross-culturally. ‘Tumaini’ is an interactive narrative-based smartphone game that uses a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ format. It is designed to prevent HIV among young African adolescents (aged 11–14) by increasing age and condom use at first sex. It was developed with a US-based commercial game developer and is grounded in social behavioral theory, evidence-based practice and contextually relevant scenarios. In a 2017 randomized pilot study (n = 60) in Western Kenya, ‘Tumaini’ showed promising effects on behavioral mediators of sexual debut. In subsequent focus group discussions, adolescent participants and their parents shared their perceptions of the game’s mechanisms of effect, which included motivation to play, future orientation, decision-making, relationship to a diverse range of characters and a bridging of the virtual and real worlds. These findings align with our theoretical framework, confirm its successful translation into the intervention and will inform mediation analyses in an upcoming efficacy trial.

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Implementation Plans for Course Redesigns: An Exploration of Identified Strategies

To Improve the Academy ◽

10.3998/tia.137 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca Campbell ◽

Benjamin Blankenship

Keyword(s):

Student Success ◽

Student Performance ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Course Design ◽

Content Assessment ◽

Student Success Course ◽

Assessment Feedback ◽

Gateway Courses ◽

Lower Division ◽

And Mathematics

Institutions are redesigning gateway courses—lower-division courses known to create student success bottlenecks—to influence persistence and completion goals. These initiatives, student success course redesigns (SSCR), are specialized versions of course design institutes (CDIs). This investigation into SSCRs uses content analysis to examine the implementation plans created during a SSCR. Results demonstrated that the majority of the strategies planned focused on the Learning key performance indicator (KPI), and the minority of the planned-for strategies focused on the Monitoring Student Performance KPI. A more granular analysis of the Learning strategies revealed five themes: Content, Assessment, Pedagogy, Syllabus, and Student Success. Additional results indicated the majority of planned strategies would occur out of class, and disciplinary differences between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM faculty for pedagogical and content design changes. Results also demonstrated a need for more faculty to utilize actionable language for course redesign strategies. Moreover, the implementation plans provided useful assessment feedback of the CDI itself.

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Promoting Students’ Interest, Attitude and Intrinsic Motivation Towards Learning STEM Through Minimalist Robot Education Programme

International Journal of Service Management and Sustainability ◽

10.24191/ijsms.v4i1.8054 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Nur Lisa Zaharin ◽

Sabariah Sharif ◽

Soon Singh Bikar Singh ◽

Rosy Talin ◽

Muralindran Mariappan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intrinsic Motivation ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Education Programme ◽

P Value ◽

Software Training ◽

Science Technology ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Alternative Hypotheses ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Educational Modules

Intrinsic motivation is one of the main driving forces for students’ interest and attitude towards learning STEM subjects such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Unfortunately, students’ interestand attitude towards STEM subjects are on the decline. A continued decline, if unchecked, will affect the number of students’ enrolment into the STEM fields. This study was conducted to investigate the students’ interest, attitude and intrinsic motivation towards learning STEM subjects by appraising the pro educational modules that include assembling and dismantling the minimalist robots and by providing software training to the students. The results of hypothesis testing of P-value generated via Statistical Packages of Social Sciences (SPSS) v2.5 indicate the effectiveness of Minimalist Robot Education Programme. The students’ interest, attitude and intrinsic motivation show a significant difference towards the learning of STEM. The findings also show that all the alternative hypotheses: (1) students’ interest towards learning STEM is increased as a result of participating in the Minimalist Robotic Education Programme; (2); students’ attitude towards learning STEM increased as a result of participating in the Minimalist Robotic Education Programme and (3) students’ intrinsic motivation towards learning STEM increased as a result of participating in the Minimalist Robotic Education Programme set for this study.These favorable findings can be a platform for advocating the application of robotics in the Malaysian curricula.

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Classroom effect on primary school students’ self-concept in literacy and mathematics

European Journal of Psychology of Education ◽

10.1007/s10212-019-00439-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 625-646

Author(s):

Kati Vasalampi ◽

Eija Pakarinen ◽

Minna Torppa ◽

Jaana Viljaranta ◽

Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary School ◽

High Performance ◽

Study Data ◽

Self Concept ◽

Primary School Students ◽

Classroom Performance ◽

School Students ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Grade 3 ◽

And Mathematics

AbstractAccording to the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLP) model, high individual academic performance in a particular subject is related to high self-concept in that subject, whereas high average classroom performance has a negative effect on self-concept. In the present study, data from Finnish primary school students in grade 3 (504 students), grade 4 (487 students), and grade 6 (365 students) are used to examine whether the assumptions of the BFLP effect model hold already in primary school. Furthermore, we examined gender differences in BFLP effect. The results showed that as expected students’ high performance in literacy and in mathematics was related to high self-concept in the same subject. Support for the negative classroom effect was small and it depended on the school subject and student’s gender. That is, a high average classroom performance already in grade 3 had a negative but small effect on boys’ self-concept in mathematics. In literacy and among girls, only little support was found for the negative classroom effect.

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Emerging Economies’ Institutional Quality and International Competitiveness: A PLS-SEM Approach

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9090928 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 928

Author(s):

Ricardo E. Buitrago R. ◽

María Inés Barbosa Camargo ◽

Favio Cala Vitery

Keyword(s):

Emerging Economies ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Institutional Quality ◽

International Competitiveness ◽

Sem Analysis ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Negative Effect ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Global Arena ◽

Resource Conditions

The home country’s institutional framework determines the capacity to compete in the global arena. This paper discusses the linkage between institutional quality (IQ) and international competitiveness (IC). We measured institutions’ quality in emerging economies through the use of selected indicators between 2007–2017. To evaluate the proposed IQ constructs and their relationship with IC, we applied partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis. The model outcomes suggest that political and lack of systemic conditions have a significant and negative effect on international competitiveness, while science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) resource conditions have a significant and positive effect.

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Religiosity and Female Participation in Sport: Exploring the Perceptions of the Turkish University Students

Physical Education of Students ◽

10.15561/20755279.2018.0405 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 196-206

Author(s):

M. Turkmen

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Positive Perception ◽

Female Participation ◽

Pearson Correlation Test ◽

Turkish University Students ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The University ◽

Very High

Background and Study Aim: This exploratory study tried to find out religiosity levels and perceptions of Turkish university students on female participation in sport. It also aimed to point out the possible relationship between religiosity and female participation in sport. Material and Methods: For this purpose, 412 university students attending to different faculties in Bartin University in Turkey completed Religiosity Inventory and Female Participation in Sport Questionnaire. The findings derived from both scales were evaluated using SPSS 22.0 program through descriptive statistics, t-Test and Anova Tests, and the relationships between two scales were calculated using Pearson Correlation Test and Regression Analysis. Gender and field of study were used as variables to elaborate the results of the scales. Results: According to the findings of the research, it was found that the university students had very high religiosity level and very positive perception of female participation in sport. Moreover, the study pointed out there is a weak positive correlation between the religiosity and female participation in sport which was contradictory to the study hypotheses of this research. Conclusions: As a conclusion, this study conveyed that religiosity does not have a negative effect on the female participation in sport.

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Funkcje jednostek osadniczych aglomeracji poznańskiej a polityka przestrzenna = Functions of settlement units of the Poznań agglomeration in light of spatial policy

Studia Obszarów Wiejskich ◽

10.7163/sow.55.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 ◽

pp. 27-40

Author(s):

Magdalena Szczepańska ◽

Agnieszka Wilkaniec

Keyword(s):

Spatial Structure ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Spatial Changes ◽

Spatial Differences ◽

Strongly Connected ◽

Negative Effect ◽

The City ◽

Housing Estates

Declining importance of agriculture has been accompanied by development of non-agricultural activities in rural areas. Concurrently, there has been an increasing interest in the issues of transforming functional and spatial structure of the village. Functions of rural settlement units are primarily identified based upon analysis of changing tendencies concerning employment structure, land use and infrastructure accessibility. Significant changes have also occurred in the landscape and perception of post-agricultural space. The rural area begins to resemble a city (hub), also in terms of social and living conditions. There is a rise in the standard of living (positive effect) and a widespread of urban style of being (a negative effect). These processes are particularly intense in the villages of the suburban area, as they are being absorbed into the spatial and functional structures of the city. The aim of the research is to determine the functional and spatial differences and similarities among settlement units of the Poznań agglomeration based on the analysis of planning documents as well as spatial and cartographic data. Old villages were selected for the research – currently, self-government housing estates in Poznań (auxiliary units) and villages that are adjacent to the city border. Contemporary changes in the functions of settlement units have been identified in a diverse range and extent. However, in general spatial changes exhibit numerous similarities. The most important spatial decisions affecting the functional and spatial structure of settlement units are undertaken at the commune level. It is however necessary to coordinate these activities also at a higher level and at various scales of planning. In particular, there is a need for a an integrated approach to the management of spatial and landscape resources within strongly connected areas such as urban agglomerations.

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Class Size and Teacher Work: Research Provided to the BCTF in their Struggle to Negotiate Teacher Working Conditions

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy ◽

10.7202/1078519ar ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 83-101

Author(s):

Daniel Laitsch ◽

Hien Nguyen ◽

Christine Ho Younghusband

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Supreme Court ◽

Class Size ◽

Lead Author ◽

Court Case ◽

Supreme Court Of Canada ◽

Student Interactions ◽

High School Graduation Rates ◽

Teacher Student ◽

The Supreme Court

This paper presents an update of a 2010-literature review on class size research completed as background in preparation of an affidavit on class size provided by the lead author in the case of British Columbia Teachers’ Federation v. British Columbia, argued before the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2010, appealed ultimately to the Supreme Court of Canada and ruled on November 10, 2016. We find that smaller classes can improve teacher-student interactions and individualized instruction, decreasing time spent on discipline issues, leading to better student behaviour, attitude, and efforts. Smaller classes generally have greater advantages for younger students, and effects are more observable in class sizes of less than 20. Small classes may shrink achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, and increase high school graduation rates, and appear to enhance academic outcomes, particularly for marginalized groups. Researchers have detected class size effects many years later. Small classes have been found to boost teachers’ morale and job satisfaction. While some studies have found effects at the secondary and post-secondary level, results are generally inconclusive at this level. Finally, some researchers have argued that class size reductions are an inefficient use of funds which might be better spent elsewhere in the system. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on the process of providing this research for Supreme Court case.

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Student interactions during class activities: a mathematical model

Communications in Applied and Industrial Mathematics ◽

10.2478/caim-2018-0011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 91-105

Author(s):

D. Brunetto ◽

C. Andrà ◽

N. Parolini ◽

M. Verani

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Small Groups ◽

Numerical Experiments ◽

Opinion Dynamics ◽

Mathematical Education ◽

Student Interactions ◽

Mathematics Classrooms ◽

Proposed Model ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Different Levels

Abstract This paper aims at bridging Mathematical Modelling and Mathematics Education by studying the opinion dynamics of students who work in small groups during mathematics classrooms. In particular, we propose a model which hinges upon the pioneering work of Hegselmann and Krause on opinion dynamics and integrates recent results of interactionist research in Mathematical Education. More precisely, the proposed model incorporates the following features: 1) the feelings of each student towards the classmates (building upon the so-called \I can" -\you can" framework); 2) the different levels of preparation of the students; 3) the presence of the teacher, who may or may not intervene to drive the students towards the correct solution of the problem. Several numerical experiments are presented to assess the capability of the model in reproducing typical realistic scenarios.

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Traditional and Flipped Learning: Which Enhances Students’ Academic Performance Better?

International Journal of Information and Education Technology ◽

10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.1.1586 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 54-59

Author(s):

J. R. Sablan ◽

◽

M. Prudente

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Class Size ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Geographical Location ◽

P Value ◽

Inverted Classroom ◽

G Value ◽

And Mathematics

Most of the learning institutions even before the global pandemic are using a blended learning strategy. One of the most promising and leading blended-strategy today is the Flipped Classroom Model (FCM). FCM, often called as inverted classroom or reversed instruction, is a teaching model where the content of the study is given outside the classroom and homework is done inside the classroom. Previous researches yields different results when FCM is compared with traditional learning in enhancing students’ academic performance. To address the problem, a meta-analysis has been conducted. In this study, 15 articles were chosen to be meta-analyzed. The researchers used the PRISMA model in conducting the meta-analysis and the Meta-essentials for data analysis. The analysis yields a p-value of 0.000 which means that there is a statistical significant effect by the intervention FCM to the academic performance of the students. The hedges’ g value of 0.93 has a verbal interpretation of large effect. Through subgroup analysis, it was found that FCM has a positive effect on the academic performance of the students in the subjects Physics and Mathematics with a p value of 0.000. This is also true in the subgroup, Geographical Location (Eastern and Western Countries), that yields a p-value of 0.000. Further, a moderator analysis on class size and intervention duration was also conducted. A significant p-value was found on the moderator implementation duration but not significant in the moderator class size. The analysis favors the longitudinal use of Flipped Classroom Model on enhancing student’s academic performance over Traditional Lecture Model in the subjects Physics and Mathematics regardless the class size of the students and the regions where the studies were conducted.

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