Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The study investigates the social factors mentioned above through the lenses of the self-determination theory. Which is based on the notion that individuals are intrinsically motivated to develop through the use of integrative activities. Motivation, within this theory, is assumed related to the degree in which 3 needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Students with high levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness demonstrate higher academic motivation and career achievements.
1) Autonomy support is achieved when the students feel their teacher is interested in their perspective (meaning that they feel that their opinions matter and they have some control on what they’re taught), encourages exploration, and provides choices for students.
2) Competence is defined as the degree to which an individual believes they can complete a task successfully. It derives from 4 sources: prior personal experiences, vicarious experiences of mastery (witnessing the competence of a role model), social persuasion, and physiological experiences. A low level of perceived competence find difficulty staying in a STEM career due to diminished levels of motivation and self-confidence.
3) Relatedness can be understood as “finding a role in relation to others, which will make the subject feel valued and will contribute to their feeling of self-worth and kinship with an increasing number of persons”. In academic settings, relatedness can be achieved through social support from peers and teachers, the last ones by means of interactions that demonstrate emotional viability and dedication of attention and time.
The study focuses on the last 2 needs, as students’ perception of competence and relatedness mostly come from their social context. On the other hand, autonomy is mostly developed through interactions by authority figures (i.e., teachers).
On the technical side, the participants to the study completed 3 surveys during a semester. Variables pertinent to the research questions (perception of competence, feeling of relatedness, friends’ and peers’ value of STEM, contact with STEM peers and STEM classmates, intent to leave STEAM, and final grade) were obtained through multiple answers on the subject with scales from 1-to-6 or 1-to-4. The participants were divided in subgroups based on determining factors: gender, minority group, generation order. For each subgroup mean and standard deviation were calculated.
In order to discern students’ perception of social support, competence, and relatedness (R.Q.1) across groups, independent samples t-tests are performed. To examine the effect of social support on perception of competence and relatedness, and how these factors influence performance and retention in STEM courses (R.Q.2) a path analysis is conducted for the total sample. Multigroup path analyses are instead conducted to examine differences in the relative strength of predictive relationships between underrepresented and majority subgroups (R.Q.3).
Major findings are:
- All subgroups reported similar levels of social support, competence, and relatedness. (Related to R.Q.1)
- For all students, greater perceived competence, classmate contact, and friends’ value of STEM lessened the intent to leave their major. Students also reported that STEM classmate contact positively predicted perceived competence and that peer contact positively predicted relatedness. (Related to R.Q.2)
- Multigroup analyses specific to gender highlighted that women's intention to leave their major was diminished by competence and classmate contact. Classmate contact had further indirect effects on diminishing intent to leave by promoting greater perceptions of competence. A greater sense of relatedness further diminished female students’ intention to leave their major (This was a path unique to females). (Related to R.Q.3)
- Among all learners, peer contact was an important source of social support for developing a sense of relatedness. This path was not present for the less well-represented group, who instead derived greater perceptions of competence from classmate contact. This competence in turn negatively predicted intentions to leave, underscoring that one's competence is a particularly critical factor to promote for underrepresented students. (Related to R.Q.3)
