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Positive Feedback as a Lever to Boost Students' STEM Outcomes.
Lora E Park1, Deborah E Ward2, Deborah Moore-Russo3
1University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, NY, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|July 30, 2024
Summary
Positive feedback in college STEM courses can significantly boost student belonging and self-efficacy. This simple intervention is particularly effective for underrepresented minority students, improving their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- STEM Education Research
Background:
- High attrition rates exist in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors, disproportionately affecting underrepresented groups.
- Existing feedback practices in STEM, particularly mathematics, may lack positive reinforcement, potentially hindering student engagement and persistence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of positive feedback on student belonging, self-efficacy, and outcomes in STEM.
- To explore whether positive feedback can serve as an intervention to broaden participation in STEM fields.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of feedback norms in math versus English courses.
- Experimental manipulation of feedback type (positive vs. objective) on introductory calculus exams.
- Statistical modeling to assess the relationship between feedback, belonging, self-efficacy, and STEM outcomes.
Main Results:
- Positive feedback is less common in math courses compared to English courses.
- Students receiving positive feedback on calculus exams reported greater belonging and self-efficacy in math.
- Increased belonging and self-efficacy predicted higher STEM interest and final math grades, respectively.
- These positive effects were amplified for racial-ethnic minority students.
Conclusions:
- Providing positive feedback is a low-cost, high-impact intervention for improving STEM education.
- This feedback strategy can enhance student outcomes and persistence, especially for underrepresented students in STEM.
- Shifting feedback norms in STEM could be a transformative approach to broadening participation.
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