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Dissertation
How High-Achieving First-Generation STEM Students Persevere and Succeed in College: A Mixed Methods Study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000389
Abstract
Degree completion rates are significantly lower for first-generation students pursuing majors in Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM). Hispanic and Black students are disproportionately represented among first-generation students and significantly underrepresented in STEM degree programs and careers. Colleges and universities have implemented programs to support STEM students from these populations, yet there continues to be an inadequate number of STEM graduates available to fill STEM-related positions. This mixed methods convergent study examined high-achieving first-generation STEM students to identify characteristics, resources, and strategies that may help inform STEM student support programs targeting students from at-risk populations. Responses to the GRIT-S, ITIS, and SSRQ scales were collected from 160 first-generation STEM students across two CUNY colleges to measure grit, growth-mindset, and self-regulation, respectively. ANOVA analyses indicated that students with high grit and growth mindsets had significantly higher GPAs than those with low levels of grit and fixed mindsets (p=<.001). Additionally, grit (p=.01) and growth mindset (p= <.001) positively predicted academic achievement (GPA). Self-regulation did not significantly affect GPA, and neither grit, mindset, nor self-regulation had significant effects on time to degree completion. However, the regression model indicated the interaction between all three constructs significantly predicted GPA (p=<.001) and time to degree completion (p=.05). This study also explored the experiences and resources that helped high-achieving first-generation STEM students persevere through challenges to complete their college degrees. Semi-structured interviews with ten high-achieving first-generation students revealed that (a) a sense of purpose and personal interest in STEM fields motivated them to persevere through challenges, (b) academic success is a result of effort over intelligence, and (c) campus resources and supportive relationships with peers and mentors encouraged academic success. Five results emerged during the meta-analysis: (a) high-achieving first-generation STEM students are gritty, (b) high-achieving first-generation STEM students exhibit growth mindsets, (c) self-regulation did not increase GPA but was important in perseverance, (d) variables aside from the non-cognitive constructs are important to academic achievement, and (e) none of the non-cognitive constructs helped first-generation STEM students graduate faster. Thus, the results of this study support extant literature advocating for grit and growth mindset interventions in higher education and suggest that other variables play a role in academic success for this population.
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Details
- Title
- How High-Achieving First-Generation STEM Students Persevere and Succeed in College
- Creators
- Sasha Elena Ortiz
- Contributors
- Michael G. Kozak (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- ix, 178 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991015000048304721