[Hearts-of-GOLD] FW: [GOLD-network] STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes

[Grady Dixon]

See the note below from one of our GOLD colleagues who is a PI on a different project.

_____________________________________________
P. Grady Dixon
Professor and Interim Dean,
Werth College of Science, Technology, and Mathematics
Chair, Department of Geosciences
Fort Hays State University
pgdixon at fhsu.edu<mailto:pgdixon at fhsu.edu>
he/him/his

From: GOLD-network <gold-network-bounces at mailman.ucar.edu> On Behalf Of Rebecca Batchelor
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 7:09 AM
To: GOLD Ideas Lab Participants <gold-network at mailman.ucar.edu>
Subject: [GOLD-network] STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes

Hi Everyone,

There is a very interesting study just out about faculty mindset and the influence it has on minority studies
(Full article here: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/2/eaau4734 ; Public interest discussion here: https://diverseeducation.com/article/138987/<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fdiverseeducation.com%2farticle%2f138987%2f&c=E,1,Rfcfvk5WSYfmrYsq41bgblLe9NuDXIOPb58v9llNnBHNe7a0AJP8j8xtUQ31-HsIZzU0ZE2Q4c3UEfCvtCOvhhfr8IXTCBqLUMN_tLc4MAFnUQbLGgFvI6tzG0do&typo=1> )

Very relevant for the work we are doing, there was a recommendation:

"  Millions of dollars in federal funding have been earmarked for student-centered initiatives and interventions that combat inequality in higher education and expand the STEM pipeline. Rather than putting the burden on students and rigid structural factors, our work shines a spotlight on faculty and how their beliefs relate to the underperformance of stigmatized students in their STEM classes. Investing resources in faculty mindset interventions could help professors understand the impact of their beliefs on students’ motivation and performance and help them create growth mindset cultures in their classes at little to no cost. If more faculty create growth mindset cultures in their classes, then this could increase students’ motivation and engagement in STEM—potentially inspiring more URM students to pursue STEM careers. Even a small increase in STEM course grades could mean the difference between receiving credit for the course, retaining financial aid, and/or advancing toward a STEM degree. In this study, 150 faculty taught more than 15,000 students in just 2 years’ time, underscoring the pervasive influence each college faculty member possesses. Faculty-centered interventions may have the unprecedented potential to change STEM culture from a fixed mindset culture of genius to a growth mindset culture of development while narrowing STEM racial achievement gaps at scale (33)."

I hope you are all doing well!
Bec

(Now at at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao)

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