Belonging in general chemistry predicts first-year undergraduates’ performance and attrition

Abstract

Feeling a sense of belonging in a learning environment can have positive effects on student success. The impact of this psychosocial variable on undergraduates’ achievement and retention has been demonstrated in STEM disciplines, especially for women within physical sciences where large disparities in gender representation persist. The current study explores the relationship between belonging and student success in undergraduate chemistry, where greater gender parity has recently emerged. In particular, this research investigates the belonging of first-year students enrolled in a two-semester General Chemistry course sequence. The study begins by examining whether students’ early sense of belonging in the course, indexed by two survey measures (perceived belonging, belonging uncertainty) varies depending on their demographics and academic preparation. The belonging measures are then used as predictors of performance in General Chemistry 1 and 2 and attrition from one semester to the next. Paralleling research in other STEM disciplines, the results show that female students, especially those from underrepresented minority groups, reported lower belonging and higher uncertainty than male students within the first weeks of the course. After accounting for demographics, preparation, and participation in a course supplemental program, the belonging measures predicted performance and attrition for all students. These findings suggest that course-level belonging in General Chemistry can have practical consequences for student success, and early disparities in belonging may have downstream effects on the retention of women and other groups underrepresented in STEM. Strategies for creating an inclusive and engaging environment that supports the success of all students are discussed.

Social Capital From Professional Engineering Organizations and the Persistence of Women and Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates

“…Black students are disproportionately affected by their STEM programs' climates, given the societal pervasiveness of anti-Black microaggressions (Lee et al, 2020). Because the relationship between fitting into unwelcome academic climates and persistence is strong (Marra et al, 2012;Meyer and Marx, 2014;Rainey et al, 2018;Fink et al, 2020), investigations into how students gain social capital through PEOs to deal with poor academic climate are imperative.…”

“…According to the National Science Foundation (NSF 2019), URM students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) include Black/African American, Latinx, and American Indian and Alaskan Native men and women. The hostile climate of engineering programs and the feeling of not belonging in these programs are the main reasons that students identify for switching to non-engineering majors (as well as non-STEM majors) before graduation (Seymour and Hewitt, 1997;Tyson et al, 2007;Griffith, 2010;Hill et al, 2010;Ohland et al, 2011;Marra et al, 2012;Meyer and Marx, 2014;Rainey et al, 2018;Fink et al, 2020). This negative academic climate is a threat to efforts to make the STEM workforce more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.…”

Undergraduate STEM Majors on and off the Pre-Med/Health Track: A STEM Identity Perspective

“…Revisiting the myths surrounding pre-med/health majors from the perspective of STEM identity could also provide new avenues for addressing deficits in the nonmedical STEM workforce (e.g., National Science Board, 2015; Xue and Larson, 2015;NASEM, 2016;Dou et al, 2019) and persistent challenges to retain minorities in nonmedical STEM fields (e.g., Chang et al, 2014;Wong, 2015;Estrada et al, 2016). This would apply to issues of underrepresentation in disciplinary areas like physics (Lock and Hazari, 2016) and chemistry (Fink et al, 2020), while simultaneously addressing similar issues in medical fields (Emery et al, 2018;Lett et al, 2018;NASEM, 2020). For example, undergraduate research experiences in basic science that explicitly invite the participation of pre-med/health students could serve to align students "with a research scientist identity by pursuing work in a research laboratory early on in [their] undergraduate career[s]" (Carlone and Johnson, 2007).…”

“…(p. 35) This inconsistency in classification across research and programs and rudimentary ways of tracking this population within institutions precludes a better understanding of the identity-related experiences of pre-med/health students. Our own literature review revealed myriad ways that researchers employ the terms "pre-med" or "pre-medical" careers, with some referring exclusively to those with intentions to attend a medical school (e.g., Liang, 2012); some using the terms to refer to students with intentions to attend postbaccalaureate training encompassing a broader set of health careers that include medicine, nursing, and even veterinary careers (e.g., Larson et al, 2012); some using the terms "premedicine" and "prehealth" interchangeably (e.g., NRC, 2003); and still others who did not define their terminology (e.g., Fink et al, 2020). Thus, efforts to understand and improve the experiences of pre-med/health students must contend with this messy approach to tracking and studying recruitment of the pre-med/health student population.…”

Factors impacting on accounting academics’ motivation and capacity to adapt in challenging times

“…Self-efficacy has been widely acknowledged as an important determinant of success (Bandura, 1977), and the links between self-efficacy beliefs and performance are well established in the higher education literature (Beatson et al , 2020; Fraile et al , 2017; Hackett and Betz, 1989). A sense of belonging also has strong linkages to performance outcomes (Schar et al , 2017; Fink et al , 2020). Fink et al (2020) demonstrated that students with higher levels of belonging to their university had greater academic success and lower rates of attrition.…”