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M-LoCUS: A Scalable Intervention Enhances Growth Mindset and Internal Locus of Control in Undergraduate Students in STEM.

ABSTRACT: Student self-beliefs regarding intelligence and ability have been shown to correspond to achievement and persistence in an academic domain. Specifically, previous research has suggested that a growth mindset-or the belief that intelligence is malleable and can increase with effort-is associated with student success. Locus of control is a related but distinct self-belief regarding personal agency over various academic and nonacademic outcomes and has also been associated with study skills and academic persistence. However, academic interventions targeting student mindsets and loci of control have remained relatively underexplored, specifically in the context of undergraduate STEM education. Here, we describe the development and assessment of an intervention encouraging students to adopt a growth mindset and internal locus of control. This five-part intervention is administered entirely online and is therefore independent of individual instructor variability. We administered the intervention in five introductory biology courses and show that the intervention was successful in impacting student mindsets and loci of control across various demographics.

SUBMITTER: Nallapothula D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7243987 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The benefits of mentored undergraduate research to student success, retention, and persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have long been identified. However, many students miss out on the opportunity to engage in research often due to unfamiliarity of various research opportunities or how to approach potential research mentors. To address this, we developed a scalable online badge, Introduction to Research, that draws on aspects of the Entering Research curriculum (Branchaw, Pfund, & Rediske, 2010) to help students explore and prepare for undergraduate research in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Students in the BUILD Training Program, part of the larger STEM BUILD at UMBC Initiative, completed the badge in conjunction with a 3-week classroom-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) before the start of their second year of undergraduate study at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). We were interested in investigating how this intervention, online badge plus CURE, correlated to students engaging in undergraduate research before the end of their second year at UMBC. We did this through student self-report, comparing students who had participated in the online badge plus CURE (BTP) to those who participated in neither (Control). Our data demonstrate that students who participated in the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE entered into mentored research at a significantly higher rate than students who were exposed to neither. Further, previously validated instruments of students 'research self-efficacy and science identity were used to compare how the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE may impact these two psycho-social variables. Students who participated in the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE had significantly higher gains in research self-efficacy compared to the control group. However, no change was observed in science identity for either group. Collectively, our results suggest that students who engage in the Introduction to Research Badge in combination with a CURE engage in mentored research within a year of completion at higher levels than students who engage in neither.

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M-LoCUS: A Scalable Intervention Enhances Growth Mindset and Internal Locus of Control in Undergraduate Students in STEM.

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