Relationships between Self-efficacy and STEM Knowledge Exam Scores in a Short-term Intervention Program: A Pilot Study
- Conference
- Location
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Columbus, Ohio
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2017
- Start Date
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June 24, 2017
- End Date
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June 28, 2017
- Conference Session
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Pre-College: Perceptions and Attitudes on the Pathway to Engineering (1)
- Tagged Division
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Pre-College Engineering Education Division
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Page Count
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12
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--28794
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/28794
- Download Count
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546
Paper Authors
Tony McClary New Mexico State University, College of Engineering
Tony McClary is a Master's candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University. Tony received his Bachelor's degree in Performance Psychology from New Mexico State University in 2014. Tony is currently working with the College of Engineering on developing an assessment for middle school and high school students who attend short-term intervention programs in an effort to understand if and how these camps help students.
Patricia A. Sullivan New Mexico State University
Patricia A. Sullivan serves as Associate Dean for Outreach and Public Service and is Director of the Engineering New Mexico Resource Network in the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. She received her PhD in industrial engineering and has over 32 years’ experience directing statewide engineering outreach services that include technical engineering business assistance, professional development, and educational outreach programs. She is co-PI for a National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES grant focused on collective impact strategies involving STEM outreach, Co-PI for a Broadening Participation grant to increase minority engineering students through engagement in innovation and entrepreneurship, and a Co-PI for an i6 Challenge grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to foster regional economic development through innovation and new business start-ups. She is institutional integrator for the Partnership for the Advancement of Engineering Education (PACE) at NMSU. She is also co-lead for a NSF funded Pathways to Innovation cohort at NMSU with a focus on integrating innovation and entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum through a blending of industry and educational experiences. Patricia serves as a commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), is a member of the executive committee for the NM Consortia for Energy Workforce Development, a member of the board of directors for BEST Robotics Inc., and a member of the board of directors for Enchantment Land Certified Development Company (ELCDC – a program that certifies SBA 504 loans that foster economic development.) She has extensive experience in economic development particularly efforts that build on collaborative partnerships with business and industry, government agencies, and other stake-holders to enhance employment opportunities for engineering students.
Steven J. Stochaj New Mexico State University
Luis Antonio Vazquez Ph.D. New Mexico State University
Dr. Luis A. Vázquez is the Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and a Regents Professor. Dr. Vázquez earned his Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Iowa in 1990.
Dr. Vázquez's greatest interest is the "empowering" focus of research on the ethnically/racially diverse populations in education. He has published in the areas of acculturation, and educational development, along with developing multicultural training videos used across the country in counseling and psychology programs. Dr. Vázquez has been an invited speaker at numerous National Conventions to address the issues of Academic Success and health disparities in underserved populations. He has been a visiting professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico. He currently serves on the Council of Representatives for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race, Division 45 of the American Psychological Association. Among the awards Dr. Vázquez has received is the Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association for Visionary Leadership in Psychology, USDA Faculty Fellow in Washington D.C., as well as several “Excellence in Teaching Awards.” He is also a consultant through KMA (Kochman, Mavrelis & Associates-kmadiversity .com) to higher education institutions in the areas of personnel development and policies of diversity.
Karen Trujillo New Mexico State University
Dr. Karen Trujillo has been an educator for over 20 years. She started as a teacher, became an administrator and has been a research faculty member at NMSU for six years. She has been a PI and Co-PI of multiple grants focused on STEM Education. She is the director of The Alliance for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and recently started the STEM Outreach Alliance Research Lab (SOAR) to study the impact of STEM Outreach efforts at NMSU.
John Kulpa New Mexico State University
Germain Degardin New Mexico State University
Abstract
Abstract: Relationships between self-efficacy and test scores in students have been studied extensively (Estrada et al. 2011). In general, the vast majority of self-efficacy studies have been focused on long-term interventions based on academic performance (Lane & Lane, 2001). The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a similar relationship between these two variables when observed in a short-term STEM summer intervention program among middle and high school students. The discovery of a relationship between these variables would lead to a reasonable necessity to conduct further research on the subject. With the introduction of new short-term intervention aimed at improving self-efficacy over increasing content knowledge, it is important to understand how these two variables are related. Many studies have shown that self-efficacy is an important variable in the performance of students from underrepresented backgrounds, including females, African American, Native American, and Hispanic students (MacPhee, Farro, and Canetto, 2013). Current data shows a significant positive change in content exam scores pre- and post-intervention experience. The data also suggest a positive relationship between students’ content knowledge gain during the immersion and their self-efficacy following the intervention experience. These findings suggest a necessity for further research into relationships between these variables in similar short-term intervention style programs. This paper will present findings from current data, lessons learned, and opportunities to refine the survey instruments for future programs to better determine if participation in the intervention is the causal motivator in this relationship. The presented work is intended to contribute to a greater understanding of which particular aspects of the intervention experience contributed to the change and hopefully lead to a blueprint for broadening participation in STEM through enhanced summer intervention programs.
McClary, T., & Sullivan, P. A., & Stochaj, S. J., & Vazquez, L. A., & Trujillo, K., & Kulpa, J., & Degardin, G. (2017, June), Relationships between Self-efficacy and STEM Knowledge Exam Scores in a Short-term Intervention Program: A Pilot Study Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28794
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