Can exploring before instruction improve underrepresented STEM students’ learning compared to traditional methods? Investigating psychosocial factors.

Increasing evidence suggests that active learning benefits students’ learning outcomes, while also helping to reduce or eliminate grade differences between historically underrepresented (UR) and non-underrepresented (non-UR) students in STEM courses. This dissertation investigates if, and when, a specific active learning strategy – exploratory learning before instruction – can have these learning benefits and impact students’ fundamental needs (i.e., security, belonging, competence, and self-efficacy) and curiosity/interest. In five experimentally-controlled studies conducted within undergraduate STEM courses (physics, engineering, and chemistry), students were randomly assigned to exploratory learning conditions (explore-first) or traditional instruct-then-practice conditions (instruct-first). After completing both the learning activity and lecture-based instruction, all students completed a survey and posttest assessing conceptual knowledge. Across all studies, exploration resulted in higher conceptual knowledge for the classes overall. However, differences arose when assessing the potential benefit of exploration individually for different UR groups (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, or a combination of these). Studies were then grouped based on the ability of exploration to help grade differences – some studies showed differences in instruct-first conditions that were eliminated in explore-first conditions, others had no differences in either condition, and differences remained in explore-first conditions in a third group of studies. Equivalence of UR and non-UR students’ reported fundamental needs may be the differentiating factor between these study groupings. Regression models supported these ideas, showing that a model including condition, UR status, and fundamental needs predicted 3-19% of the variance in conceptual understanding across studies. Considering all study results, it appears that exploration in environments that foster students’ belonging, competence, and self-efficacy may be especially effective in supporting students’ learning, and may be particularly important for supporting UR students. Exploratory learning before instruction may therefore improve STEM students’ understanding overall, while also potentially specifically supporting the learning of underrepresented students—especially if fundamental motivational conditions are met.