A Measurement of Systemic STEM Educational Wellness at a Minority-Serving Institution Using the Eco-STEM Educational Ecosystem Health Survey
- Conference
- Location
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Baltimore , Maryland
- Publication Date
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June 25, 2023
- Start Date
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June 25, 2023
- End Date
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June 28, 2023
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Page Count
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18
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--42424
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/42424
- Download Count
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128
Paper Authors
Corin L. Bowen
California State University, Los Angeles
orcid.org/0000-0002-0910-8902
Corin (Corey) Bowen is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education, housed in the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles. Her engineering education research focuses on structural oppression in engineering systems, organizing for equitable change, and developing an agenda of Engineering for the Common Good. She teaches structural mechanics and sociotechnical topics in engineering education and practice. Corey conferred her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in April 2021; her thesis included both technical and educational research. She also holds an M.S.E. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and a B.S.E. in civil engineering from Case Western Reserve University, both in the areas of structural engineering and solid mechanics.
Michael W. Ibrahim
Dr. Ibrahim is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering as well as the founder and director of the Construction and Engineering Management specialization at Cal State LA. His research and teaching focus on the intersections between engineering, statistics, and business to improve how we design and construct our built environment while sustaining our natural environment. Recently, Dr. Ibrahim has been passionately interested in education research.
Gustavo B. Menezes California State University, Los Angeles
Menezes is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Cal State LA. His specialization is in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. Since becoming part of the faculty in 2009, Menezes has also focused on improving student success and has led a number of
Abstract
This research paper presents preliminary results of the Educational Ecosystem Health Survey (EEHS), a survey instrument designed by the Eco-STEM team at California State University, Los Angeles, a regionally serving, very high Hispanic-enrolling Minority Serving Institution (MSI). The purpose of the instrument is to quantitatively measure the health of the STEM educational ecosystem from the perspectives of the actors within it. The Eco-STEM team is implementing an ongoing NSF-funded research project aiming to change the paradigm of teaching and learning in STEM and its aligned mental models from factory-like to ecosystem- like. We hypothesize that this model of education will better support students and their individual needs. The pilot results of administering the EEHS to students within the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology and the College of Natural and Social Sciences provide a baseline from which the Eco-STEM team will analyze diversion – and, hopefully, improvement – over the coming years of the project.
The pilot survey was administered to undergraduate and graduate students at California State University, Los Angeles, of which the majority have ethnically- and socioeconomically- minoritized backgrounds. The EEHS is comprised of validated survey instruments that query students’ perceptions of various aspects of systemic educational health. These instruments measure the constructs of Classroom Comfort, Faculty Understanding, Belongingness, Thriving, Mindfulness, and Motivation. T-tests and ANOVA models are employed to analyze variations in responses among students based on a host of demographic identifiers. Pilot results from the first administration of the survey include, for example, statistically significant lower reported levels of thriving and mindfulness for students who identify as LGBTQIA+ than those who do not, as well as far lower levels of ecosystem health overall for students who do not have access to stable housing. Additional statistically significant results are identified on the bases of students’ gender, race/ethnicity, disability status, veteran status, undergraduate versus graduate student status, college of study, employment situation, and more detailed housing situation.
The pilot results of the EEHS provide detailed insight into the experiences and needs of students in STEM programs at MSIs and regionally serving institutions. The results may also be useful within the contexts of a diverse range of institutions as they strive to serve students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
Bowen, C. L., & Ibrahim, M. W., & Menezes, G. B. (2023, June), A Measurement of Systemic STEM Educational Wellness at a Minority-Serving Institution Using the Eco-STEM Educational Ecosystem Health Survey Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42424
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