Measurements Of Adaptive Expertise Among Low-Income STEM Students

Alexander John De Rosa; Maxine Fontaine; Frank T Fisher; Ashley Lytle

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Conference: ASEE Middle Atlantic 2022 Fall Conference
Location: Middletown, Pennsylvania
Publication Date: November 11, 2022
Start Date: November 11, 2022
End Date: February 25, 2024
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44681
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44681
Download Count: 46

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Paper Authors

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Alexander John De Rosa University of Delaware orcid.org/0000-0003-1693-4724

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Alexander De Rosa is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Delaware. He gained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University in 2015 and his M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London in 2010. Dr. De Rosa is currently working in the areas of deeper learning and knowledge transfer, and has published various articles in the field of spatial skills training and assessment.

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Maxine Fontaine Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science)

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Maxine Fontaine is a Teaching Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in 2010 from Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. Maxine has a background in the biomechanics of human movement, and

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Frank T Fisher Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science) orcid.org/0000-0003-4476-5040

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Frank T. Fisher is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he served as the Interim Department Director / Department Chair from April 2013 to August 2018. He earned BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied M

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Ashley Lytle

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Ashley Lytle is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. Lytle earned her PhD at Stony Brook University, New York, USA. Her research explores how prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping im

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Abstract

One of the goals of undergraduate education is to prepare students to adapt to a challenging career that requires continual learning and application of knowledge. Working professionals should have deep conceptual knowledge that they can apply in a range of contexts and possess the attitudes and skills of lifelong learners. Literature suggests the concept of Adaptive Expertise (AE), which describes the ability to apply and extend knowledge and skills to new situations, addresses some of these characteristics. Survey data concerning the level of AE displayed by various populations is extremely limited in most contexts, be it education or working professionals. As such, data concerning the level of adaptiveness displayed among various groups needs to be measured if activities designed to promote the development of AE are to be created and then tested in terms of their efficacy. This investigation provides this critical baseline data for future studies as we track the AE development of individual students through their studies and into their professional careers.

In this study, an existing survey instrument designed to measure adaptive expertise was disseminated to a large number of incoming first-year STEM students in the fall of 2021 (n=711). In spring of 2022 this survey was followed up with another data collection effort targeting low-income students in particular. A total of n=208 low-income students from all four years of an undergraduate STEM education completed the AE survey. Targeted interviews were then conducted with 24 of these students (6 per year, 3 male, 3 female) to examine the differences displayed by low and high AE students.

Results of the AE survey indicated no statistically-significant differences between low-income and non-low-income first-year students in terms of their level of adaptiveness. In addition, the level of AE displayed by low-income students increased through the program in a manner similar to non-low-income STEM students. Several themes emerged from the interview responses including: a general understanding among students of the likelihood of needing to continually learn new concepts throughout their careers, and students expressed growth in understanding the acceptance of reaching out for assistance from other students and faculty after exploring information on their own. Two dominant and divergent metacognitive processes were also observed: teaching/explaining concepts to others (highly adaptive) or primarily relying on exam/course grades for feedback (low adaptiveness). The data gathered here will allow the research team to develop activities to promote AE and to measure their effectiveness. Data gathered from interviews for example demonstrates the need for a greater emphasis on metacognitive practice to promote various aspects of AE.

Citation
Format

De Rosa, A. J., & Fontaine, M., & Fisher, F. T., & Lytle, A. (2022, November), Measurements Of Adaptive Expertise Among Low-Income STEM Students Paper presented at ASEE Middle Atlantic 2022 Fall Conference, Middletown, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--44681

TY - CPAPER
AB - One of the goals of undergraduate education is to prepare students to adapt to a challenging career that requires continual learning and application of knowledge. Working professionals should have deep conceptual knowledge that they can apply in a range of contexts and possess the attitudes and skills of lifelong learners. Literature suggests the concept of Adaptive Expertise (AE), which describes the ability to apply and extend knowledge and skills to new situations, addresses some of these characteristics. Survey data concerning the level of AE displayed by various populations is extremely limited in most contexts, be it education or working professionals. As such, data concerning the level of adaptiveness displayed among various groups needs to be measured if activities designed to promote the development of AE are to be created and then tested in terms of their efficacy. This investigation provides this critical baseline data for future studies as we track the AE development of individual students through their studies and into their professional careers.

In this study, an existing survey instrument designed to measure adaptive expertise was disseminated to a large number of incoming first-year STEM students in the fall of 2021 (n=711). In spring of 2022 this survey was followed up with another data collection effort targeting low-income students in particular. A total of n=208 low-income students from all four years of an undergraduate STEM education completed the AE survey. Targeted interviews were then conducted with 24 of these students (6 per year, 3 male, 3 female) to examine the differences displayed by low and high AE students.

Results of the AE survey indicated no statistically-significant differences between low-income and non-low-income first-year students in terms of their level of adaptiveness. In addition, the level of AE displayed by low-income students increased through the program in a manner similar to non-low-income STEM students. Several themes emerged from the interview responses including: a general understanding among students of the likelihood of needing to continually learn new concepts throughout their careers, and students expressed growth in understanding the acceptance of reaching out for assistance from other students and faculty after exploring information on their own. Two dominant and divergent metacognitive processes were also observed: teaching/explaining concepts to others (highly adaptive) or primarily relying on exam/course grades for feedback (low adaptiveness). The data gathered here will allow the research team to develop activities to promote AE and to measure their effectiveness. Data gathered from interviews for example demonstrates the need for a greater emphasis on metacognitive practice to promote various aspects of AE.

AU - Alexander John De Rosa
AU - Maxine Fontaine
AU - Frank T Fisher
AU - Ashley Lytle
CY - Middletown, Pennsylvania
DA - 2022/11/11
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Measurements Of Adaptive Expertise Among Low-Income STEM Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44681
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44681
ER -