Two-Year Community: A 3+8 Model of Undergraduate Research for Community College STEM Majors

Leggett-Robinson, Pamela M.; Villa, Brandi; Mooring, Suazette Reid

doi:10.2505/4/jcst15_044_04_12

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In regard to specific instructional approaches and modes, previous scholarship has highlighted participation in undergraduate research programs at 4-year institutions as an empowering foundation for 2-year college students to successfully transition to baccalaureate STEM programs (Leggett-Robinson, Mooring, & Villa, 2015). Within the classroom, research has addressed issues of maintaining student interest in the subject matter and peer learning as strategies for improving retention of community college students in sciences (Lloyd & Eckhardt, 2010).…”

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

How Do 2-Year College Students Beginning in STEM View Themselves as Learners?

Wang

Sun

Wagner

et al. 2019

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background Two-year colleges are uniquely positioned to diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Yet limited existing scholarship sheds light on how 2-year college students view themselves as learners as they experience STEM courses and programs. An in-depth and nuanced understanding of 2-year college STEM students’ self-perceptions as learners presents a powerful vehicle for identifying venues of interventions aimed at cultivating and supporting the STEM talent pool toward success through and beyond the 2-year college sector. Purpose of the Study We address the following research question: How do 2-year college students participating in STEM classes and programs perceive themselves as learners? Our inquiry is aimed at revealing the fundamental structure underlying these students’ experiences as their self-perceptions as STEM learners are formed and transformed. Study Setting and Participants We collected the data for this study as part of an ongoing longitudinal mixed methods study of students beginning in STEM programs or courses in Fall 2014 at three large 2-year institutions in a Midwestern state. The sample selection of the present qualitative study drew on maximum variation sampling, yielding a final sample size of 31. Research Design We adopted descriptive phenomenology to answer our research question. In-person interviews were conducted with each participant. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the procedures aligned with the descriptive phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi. In addition, we adopted analytical techniques from grounded theory in order to effectively organize our process of documenting, describing, and making sense of the data. Findings Our findings show that self-perceptions as 2-year college STEM learners are deeply intertwined with self-perceptions as mathematics learners, constantly evaluated and reevaluated in relation to others, driven by an internal process of recognizing the rewards and negotiating the challenges of studying STEM, and shaped by an external process of validation. While these themes stand on their own as prominent defining elements of the phenomenon of our interest, they are also inherently interwoven pieces of a cohesive, complex whole. Conclusions Our study captures how students’ self-perceptions as learners are formed and transformed, and illustrates how their prior and current learning experiences, self-perceptions as mathematics learners, background characteristics, and relationships with others interweave to shape and reshape how they view themselves as learners. Future work should further determine what specific measures and venues 2-year colleges can capitalize upon to develop confident and collaborative learners who embrace the rewards and challenges of studying STEM.

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Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

How Do 2-Year College Students Beginning in STEM View Themselves as Learners?

Wang

Sun

Wagner

et al. 2019

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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show abstract

“…In recent years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded REU programs to engage students from 2YC (Hirst et al, 2014;Kim et al, 2014;Leggett-Robinson et al, 2015;Smith et al, 2017). These collaborative learning opportunities introduce students to the scientific process and can be a key element to increasing student interest in geosciences, especially among students from groups underrepresented in science (Baber et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging two-year college students in geoscience: Summer Pre-REU internships and professional development to prepare students for participation in research

Charlevoix

Morris

Russo-Nixon

et al. 2021

Journal of Geoscience Education

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The Geo-Launchpad Program is a pre-Research Experience for Undergraduates (pre-REU) providing a summer internship and professional development for two-year college (2YC) students from Colorado. The program goal was to build students' interest and capacity to engage in geoscience-focused STEM career pathways. The pre-REU helped students develop skills necessary to conduct scientific research. Students worked on a project that supported scientific research under the direction of a science mentor. The program also provided multi-level mentoring, information about career pathways in geosciences, and professional development. Multi-level mentoring included engagement with 2YC faculty, researchers and professionals, and students in other internship programs. Career pathways were illuminated through informal weekly discussions with guest speakers. Evaluation data from 2015-2018 indicated the program succeeded in building students' interest in and capacity to pursue geoscience-focused STEM careers. Annual program modifications were informed by evaluation data. Data were collected using a modified version of the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment instrument and findings were aligned with the Framework for 21st Century Learning. The internship experience was valuable for students both from the scientific research preparation perspective and developing soft skills through professional development. Overall, the professional development component of Geo-Launchpad was demonstrated to be a highly valuable component of the intern experience. In particular, data showed that exposure to a wide array of geoscience career options and pathways through the Geoscience Career Circles was one of the most impactful elements of the Geo-Launchpad internship.

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“…This does not suggest that peer groups should be exclusive, but this strategy can provide students the option to adjust to the U.S. while remaining connected to peers who represent a shared background. At the same time, these communities can develop some formal connections to the broader campus through activities such as undergraduate research programs, which some community colleges offer for students [56], [57].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Transfer Student Success: Exploring the Academic Trajectories of Black Transfer Engineering Students from Community Colleges

Berhane

Hayes

Koonce

et al.

2019 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Dr. Bruk T. Berhane received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 2003. He then completed a master's degree in engineering management at George Washington University in 2007. In 2016, he earned a Ph.D. in the Minority and Urban Education Unit of the College of Education at the University of Maryland. Bruk worked at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he focused on nanotechnology, from 2003 to 2005. In 2005 he left JHU/APL for a fellowship with the National Academies where he conducted research on methods of increasing the number of women in engineering. After a brief stint teaching mathematics in Baltimore City following his departure from the National Academies, he began working for the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering (CMSE) in the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. In 2011, he began working directly under the Office of the Dean in the Clark School, coordinating outreach and recruitment programs for the college. In 2016, he assumed the role of director of the Office of Undergraduate Recruitment and Scholarship Programs. His duties entailed working with prospective freshmen and transfer engineering students. In 2018, he transitioned to the role of Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the Clark School. His research interests transfer students who first enroll in community colleges, as well as developing broader and more nuanced engineering performance indicators.

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Two-Year Community: A 3+8 Model of Undergraduate Research for Community College STEM Majors

Cited by 10 publications

References 14 publications

How Do 2-Year College Students Beginning in STEM View Themselves as Learners?

How Do 2-Year College Students Beginning in STEM View Themselves as Learners?

Engaging two-year college students in geoscience: Summer Pre-REU internships and professional development to prepare students for participation in research

On Transfer Student Success: Exploring the Academic Trajectories of Black Transfer Engineering Students from Community Colleges

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