Student Learning Dispositions: Multidimensional Profiles Highlight Important Differences among Undergraduate STEM...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• STEM Education

Background:

• Student learning is influenced by personal dimensions like motivation, self-efficacy, and epistemic beliefs.
• These dimensions can be viewed as learning dispositions that evolve with instruction.
• Understanding these dispositions is crucial for effective teaching and learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine changes in student learning dispositions within STEM undergraduate thesis writing courses.
• To explore the use of cluster analysis for identifying distinct learning disposition profiles.
• To investigate the implications of these profiles for instructional practices and student scientific identity.

Main Methods:

• Observational study across six courses at four institutions.
• Focus on courses designed to scaffold undergraduate thesis writing and scientific reasoning.
• Cluster analysis applied to student data on motivation, self-efficacy, and epistemic beliefs.

Main Results:

• Student self-efficacy in writing and science generally increased in capstone courses.
• Significant individual variability in learning dispositions was observed.
• Cluster analysis identified several distinct and meaningful learning disposition profiles.

Conclusions:

• Learning dispositions are valuable outcomes in their own right.
• Student learning disposition profiles offer a more nuanced understanding of learners.
• This framework can inform the description of students' scientific identity development and guide instructional strategies.