Experiences in Metacognition and Early Research to Increase Degree Completion of STEM Undergraduate Students

Saint Olaf College, Northfield MN

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at St. Olaf College. Over its five-year duration, this project will provide up to four years of scholarship support to 32 students pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry. The aim of the project is to increase the proportion of students who complete introductory biology or chemistry courses and subsequently earn majors in these fields. Scholars will benefit from metacognitive training, early research experiences, and activities focused on developing a sense of belonging in STEM. This project will investigate the role of metacognitive training in advancing undergraduate research experiences. Metacognitive training enables students to monitor and reflect on their learning, plan for future academic progress, and make purposeful adjustments to achieve goals. Through metacognitive workshops and regular reflective practice, the Scholars will build an awareness of the learning strategies that are personally most effective in their STEM courses. Early research experiences in faculty-led teams and in select courses are expected to stimulate Scholars' curiosity and cultivate a sense of community. Scholar support activities include peer mentoring, gatherings with faculty, and networking with S-STEM alumni. By reinforcing a sense of belonging, these activities have the potential to support achievement and persistence of biology and chemistry majors. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The role of metacognition in classroom learning is well researched. Less is known about how metacognitive training influences students' experiences as undergraduate researchers or the learning gains that result from the research experiences. The goal of this research is to understand how these skills can be cultivated in undergraduate STEM majors. This project will actively promote the development of Scholars' metacognitive skills through workshops and guided reflection about the use of research strategies. Practicing regular metacognition is expected to influence the way students perceive their research experiences and increase the degree to which students report using metacognitive strategies. The Survey for Undergraduate Research Experiences will be administered, along with the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, modified for use in a mentored laboratory environment, to assess student experiences. The project will also evaluate the extent to which Scholars persist and thrive academically, and the role of Scholars' sense of STEM belonging in their success. The results will inform STEM education at other institutions and be disseminated through presentations at national conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income, academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.