Miller Sarah, Hernandez Paul R, Du Wenyi, Aldana Cristian Cervantes, Lee Hyewon, Maldonado Natalia, Sandoval Perla, Vong Janice, Young Gerald, Handelsman Jo, Broderick Nichole A, Estrada Mica
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715.
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2025 Jun 1;24(2):ar30. doi: 10.1187/cbe.23-06-0117.
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) enhance student retention in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly among students who belong to historically excluded communities. Yet the mechanisms by which CUREs contribute to student integration and persistence are poorly understood. Utilizing the tripartite integration model of social influence (TIMSI), this longitudinal study examines whether and how Tiny Earth-an antibiotic-discovery CURE designed for flexible implementation in a variety of course contexts-impacts students' scientific self-efficacy, scientific identity, endorsement of scientific community values, and intentions to persist in science. The study also explores how gains in TIMSI factors (i.e., scientific self-efficacy, identity, and values) vary as a function of student demographics and course characteristics. A comparison of pre- and postcourse measurements showed that scientific self-efficacy and identity increased among students in Tiny Earth. Some student demographics and course characteristics moderated these gains. Gains in all three TIMSI factors correlated with gains in persistence intentions, whereas student demographics and course characteristics did not. This study shows that the Tiny Earth curriculum equitably improved students' scientific self-efficacy and identity. It also showed that orientation toward scientific values and STEM persistence intentions held steady across most demographic groups.
基于课程的本科研究经历（CURE）提高了学生在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的留存率，尤其是在那些历史上被排斥的群体的学生中。然而，CURE促进学生融入和坚持的机制却鲜为人知。本纵向研究利用社会影响三方整合模型（TIMSI），考察了“小地球”（Tiny Earth）——一个为在各种课程环境中灵活实施而设计的抗生素发现CURE——是否以及如何影响学生的科学自我效能感、科学身份认同、对科学界价值观的认同以及坚持从事科学研究的意愿。该研究还探讨了TIMSI因素（即科学自我效能感、身份认同和价值观）的提升如何随学生人口统计学特征和课程特点而变化。课程前后测量结果的比较表明，“小地球”课程中的学生科学自我效能感和身份认同有所提高。一些学生人口统计学特征和课程特点调节了这些提升。所有三个TIMSI因素的提升都与坚持意愿的提升相关，而学生人口统计学特征和课程特点则不然。这项研究表明，“小地球”课程公平地提高了学生的科学自我效能感和身份认同。研究还表明，在大多数人口群体中，对科学价值观的取向和STEM坚持意愿保持稳定。
