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Castle SD, Byrd WC, Koester BP, Pearson MI, Bonem E, Caporale N, Cwik S, Denaro K, Fiorini S, Li Y, Mead C, Rypkema H, Sweeder RD, Valdivia Medinaceli MB, Whitcomb KM, Brownell SE, Levesque-Bristol C, Molinaro M, Singh C, McKay TA, Matz RL. Systemic advantage has a meaningful relationship with grade outcomes in students' early STEM courses at six research universities. Int J STEM Educ 2024; 11:14. [PMID: 38404757 PMCID: PMC10891193 DOI: 10.1186/s40594-024-00474-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Background Large introductory lecture courses are frequently post-secondary students' first formal interaction with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Grade outcomes in these courses are often disparate across student populations, which, in turn, has implications for student retention. This study positions such disparities as a manifestation of systemic inequities along the dimensions of sex, race/ethnicity, income, and first-generation status and investigates the extent to which they are similar across peer institutions. Results We examined grade outcomes in a selected set of early STEM courses across six large, public, research-intensive universities in the United States over ten years. In this sample of more than 200,000 STEM course enrollments, we find that course grade benefits increase significantly with the number of systemic advantages students possess at all six institutions. The observed trends in academic outcomes versus advantage are strikingly similar across universities despite the fact that we did not control for differences in grading practices, contexts, and instructor and student populations. The findings are concerning given that these courses are often students' first post-secondary STEM experiences. Conclusions STEM course grades are typically lower than those in other disciplines; students taking them often pay grade penalties. The systemic advantages some student groups experience are correlated with significant reductions in these grade penalties at all six institutions. The consistency of these findings across institutions and courses supports the claim that inequities in STEM education are a systemic problem, driven by factors that go beyond specific courses or individual institutions. Our work provides a basis for the exploration of contexts where inequities are exacerbated or reduced and can be used to advocate for structural change within STEM education. To cultivate more equitable learning environments, we must reckon with how pervasive structural barriers in STEM courses negatively shape the experiences of marginalized students. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-024-00474-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah D. Castle
- Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, MS 1103, 875 Perimeter Dr, Moscow, ID 83844 USA
| | - W. Carson Byrd
- Center for the Study of Higher & Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan, 2117 School of Education Building, 610 E University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Benjamin P. Koester
- LSA Dean: Undergraduate Education, University of Michigan, 450 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Meaghan I. Pearson
- Combined Program in Education and Psychology, University of Michigan, 610 East University Ave, Suite 1400 D, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Emily Bonem
- Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University, 155 South Grant St, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
| | - Natalia Caporale
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, 188 Briggs Hall, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Sonja Cwik
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA
| | - Kameryn Denaro
- Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation, University of California Irvine, 3000 Anteater Instruction Research Building, 653 E Peltason Dr, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Stefano Fiorini
- Institutional Analytics—Research and Analytics, UITS and Department of Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington, Cyberinfrastructure Building, 2709 E 10th St, Bloomington, IN 47401 USA
| | - Yangqiuting Li
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University, 103 SW Memorial Place, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA
| | - Chris Mead
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, PO Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Heather Rypkema
- Foundational Course Initiative, Center for Research On Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, 100 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Ryan D. Sweeder
- Lyman Briggs College and the Office of Undergraduate Education, Michigan State University, 919 E Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48103 USA
| | - Montserrat B. Valdivia Medinaceli
- Program in Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology, Indiana University Bloomington, 201 N Rose Ave, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
| | - Kyle M. Whitcomb
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA
| | - Sara E. Brownell
- Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center, Arizona State University, 427 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281 USA
| | - Chantal Levesque-Bristol
- Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue University, 155 South Grant St, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
| | - Marco Molinaro
- Academic Innovation and Technology/Teaching and Learning Transformation Center, University of Maryland, College Park, 4131 Campus Drive, College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Chandralekha Singh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA
| | - Timothy A. McKay
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, 450 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Rebecca L. Matz
- Center for Academic Innovation, University of Michigan, 317 Maynard St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA
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