Feeling comfortable asking questions in class is the strongest classroom-climate predictor of students' behavioral academic engagement in introductory STEM courses¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in their introductory STEM course reported significantly higher behavioral academic engagement (p < 0.001), the largest standardized coefficient among classroom-climate variables. → Gasiewski 2012

Evidence¶

Gasiewski 2012¶

Gasiewski, J. A., Eagan, M. K., Garcia, G. A., Hurtado, S., & Chang, M. J. (2012). From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses. Research in Higher Education, 53, 229–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-011-9247-y

q3 · i? · associational · r3

HLM analysis of weighted survey data from 2,873 students in 73 introductory STEM courses at 15 institutions predicting the behavioral engagement factor; the Table 3 row shows "Agreement: Felt comfortable asking questions in class 0.22 0.02 ***", significant at p < 0.001.

"Classroom climate Agreement: Felt comfortable asking questions in class 0.22 0.02 ***"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Perceived collaboration among peers positively predicts academic engagement, but competitive climates can undercut collaboration — related
• Faculty-signaled classroom climate relates to engagement: courses where instructors treat no question as too elementary and own responsibility for student success show more engaged students — related
• Predominantly lecture-based courses are associated with less engagement, while class discussion and group work time are associated with more — related
• Student and teacher social validation feedback supported the strategy, with students reporting improved social lives, class engagement, and goal completion — related
• About 61% of observed in-class student behavior was actively seeking knowledge or asking questions — related
• Pre-med aspiration, excitement about learning, and competitiveness each predict higher engagement; gender, race, and most pre-college measures do not — related
• Viewing STEM courses as competitive was associated with impostorship and, in turn, lower engagement and grades, especially for first-generation students — related