Targeted Infusion Project: Improving Minority STEM Majors' Mathematics Performance through Algebra Project Pedagogy and Cognitive Training

有针对性的注入项目：通过代数项目教学法和认知训练提高少数STEM专业学生的数学成绩

• 批准号: 1533563
• 负责人: Oliver Hill
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Virginia State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-15 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1533563&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Targeted; Infusion; Project; Improving; Minority

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Virginia State University (VSU) seeks to develop, implement and test the impact of a series of Algebra Project pedagogical techniques and content material in College Algebra and pre-Calculus courses, as well as cognitive training techniques that have been piloted in previous studies at VSU. The project aims to address the problem of the failure rate in College Algebra courses at the institution, which is at about 40%. Failing these courses prevents students from taking Calculus, which is the prerequisite mathematics sequence for students majoring in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The project is guided by an on-going evaluation.This project will assess the efficacy of implementing a conceptual architecture for college mathematics developed by the Algebra Project which is accessible to students at the level of College Algebra and pre-Calculus, and which has the potential to deepen and strengthenstudents' understanding of the course content and provide a solid conceptual and procedural foundation for the future study of Calculus. At the same time, the project will study the impact on cognitive training of working memory associated with STEM success. The research design for the project will be quasi-experimental, with three College Algebra and one pre-Calculus classes randomly assigned to the treatment condition, and four classes randomly assigned to the control condition. Dependent measures include course grades, standardized assessment of mathematics ability, attitudinal change, level of motivation and engagement, and semester grade point average. Initial data will be analyzed with a factorial multivariate analysis of covariance. The impact of the cognitive and psychosocial variables on mathematics performance will be analyzed using structural equation modeling. This is the first study of the impact of the Algebra Project pedagogy at the college level. Results from the study will be broadly disseminated to other institutions of higher education, particularly those that have students entering college, but not prepared to take Calculus.

历史上黑人学院和大学本科项目 (HBCU-UP) 通过定向注入项目支持开发、实施和研究基于证据的创新模型和方法，以改善 HBCU 本科生的准备和成功，以便他们能够攻读 STEM 研究生计划和/或职业。弗吉尼亚州立大学 (VSU) 的该项目旨在开发、实施和测试一系列代数项目教学技术和内容材料在大学代数和微积分预科课程中的影响，以及之前已试点的认知训练技术。在 VSU 学习。该项目旨在解决该机构大学代数课程不及格率约为40%的问题。如果这些课程不及格，学生将无法学习微积分，而微积分是科学、技术、工程和数学学科专业学生的必备数学课程。该项目以持续评估为指导。该项目将评估实施由代数项目开发的大学数学概念架构的有效性，该项目可供大学代数和预微积分水平的学生使用，并且具有加深和加强学生对课程内容的理解的潜力，并为未来的微积分学习提供坚实的概念和程序基础。同时，该项目将研究与 STEM 成功相关的工作记忆对认知训练的影响。该项目的研究设计将是准实验性的，三个大学代数和一门微积分预科课程随机分配到处理条件，四个课程随机分配到控制条件。相关衡量标准包括课程成绩、数学能力标准化评估、态度变化、动机和参与水平以及学期平均成绩。将通过协方差的阶乘多元分析来分析初始数据。将使用结构方程模型分析认知和社会心理变量对数学成绩的影响。这是第一个关于代数项目教学法对大学水平的影响的研究。该研究的结果将广泛传播到其他高等教育机构，特别是那些有学生进入大学但不准备学习微积分的大学。