Scholarship Program for Retaining, Inspiring, and eNabling Graduates (SPRING): Implementation and Assessment of its Impact on Retention and Graduation Rates

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

Students who enter college with the desire to complete a STEM major but have relatively weak mathematics proficiency tend to successfully earn their STEM degree at a much lower rate than their peers. The loss of these students who are interested in STEM fields contributes to the relative dearth in quantity of STEM majors needed to support the US economy. Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University has developed a strong entry program focused on INstilling QUantitative and Integrative Reasoning (INQUIRE) to help these students overcome their lower math preparation and successfully enter into the college science curriculum. However, the factors that lead to low math proficiency also correlate notably with low socioeconomic status and very high levels of financial need. Thus although the students who complete the INQUIRE program are able to academically succeed in college science courses, their ability to succeed in college is frequently still hindered by financial considerations (including high debt burden and the need to dedicate precious hours to working jobs for income, rather than focusing on academic endeavors). The SPRING program will support students who are talented with demonstrated financial need in two cohorts starting in their second year of college through to graduation. The SPRING scholars will be supported with 1) scholarships, 2) the development of a cohort with strong faculty mentorship, and 3) professional career skills development and network building. The experience of each student will be closely monitored through interviews to better understand which aspect of the program were most beneficial and why. Additionally, we will use data analytics to compare the retention and graduation rates of the students involved in the SPRING program to matched students not participating in the program. This project will support a minimum of 26 scholars across a range of STEM disciplines in their pursuit of a bachelor's degree. Students will receive up to $3000 in the first year, $6000 in the second and $9000 in the final year. The SPRING program will help scholars investigate the breadth of possibilities in science careers and help them make informed decisions about their career path. Throughout the project, the project team will employ semi-structured interviews, student self-reflections, and data analytics to evaluate the efficacy of the program. Specifically, the team will investigate 1) how the SPRING program impacts students with low incoming math proficiency, 2) what barriers to graduation remain for low math proficiency after the INQUIRE program, 3) what value students perceive for the different components of the program, 4) the impact of the inflating nature of the scholarship program, and 5) the result of the impact of the SPRING program on student retention, graduation rates, and career paths. Findings will be disseminated and will add to the growing literature relevant for institutions working on effective ways to support entering students with weaker mathematics preparation.