Context Matters: Social Psychological Factors That Underlie Academic Performance across Seven Institutions
S Salehi1, S A Berk2, R Brunelli3
1Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
CBE Life Sciences Education
|November 12, 2021
Summary
Academic performance gaps in introductory biology persist for underrepresented minorities at 4-year institutions, but not community colleges. Psychological factors like test anxiety also vary by institution type.
Area of Science:
- Biology Education Research
- Higher Education Equity
- Social Psychology in STEM
Background:
- Current research on undergraduate biology student experiences is concentrated at large, predominantly White institutions.
- There is a need to understand how institutional context influences academic performance and equity in introductory biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine academic performance gaps based on demographic status across different institutional contexts.
- To investigate the mediating roles of test anxiety and ethnicity stigma consciousness in introductory biology performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a large research coordination network spanning seven institutions across three types: 2-year community colleges, 4-year inclusive institutions, and 4-year selective institutions.
- Analyzed performance gaps related to gender and underrepresented minority status.
- Assessed the influence of test anxiety and ethnicity stigma consciousness on academic performance.
Main Results:
- No significant binary gender performance gaps were observed across institutional contexts.
- Performance gaps for underrepresented minority students were present at inclusive and selective 4-year institutions, but not at community colleges.
- Social psychological factors and their impact on academic performance differed significantly across institutional contexts.
Conclusions:
- Institutional context is a critical factor influencing the mechanisms behind academic performance gaps in undergraduate biology.
- Community colleges may serve as environments where performance gaps for underrepresented minorities are less pronounced.
- Understanding context-specific social psychological influences is key to developing targeted interventions for equity in biology education.
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