Researchers developing questionnaire measures of personality, motivation, and self-regulation constructs related to students' achievement and persistence in STEM or other fields rarely have examined whether the items on the measures used are functioning differently across groups, which is necessary for accurate group comparison. The present study assessed differential item functioning (DIF) in two frequently-used measures of such constructs, the Grit-S, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and a new measure of long-term grit, using a sample of 1,146 ninth and tenth-grade students in the U.S.A. We also assessed gender and racial differences in the patterns of the relationships among the latent constructs, something rarely reported in the literature. Differences in such patterns indicate that the concurrent validity of the construct scores could vary across different groups. Results indicated that numerous items exhibited gender DIF on the Grit-S but not on the MSLQ or long-term grit measure. There were fewer DIF items across racial groups. Patterns of relations among the variables, in general, were weaker for females than males. There were fewer racial groups differences in the patterns of correlations. We discuss the implications of the DIF findings for future research on group comparisons.

The disproportionate representation of Black men in mathematics has perplexed researchers for decades, and the undergraduate space has been championed as a lever to help remedy this issue. Thus, more research is needed that examines Black men's experiences as mathematics majors. To advance knowledge in the field of higher education, this yearlong ethnographic study uses Black masculinity theory to examine Morehouse College's mathematics learning community, which is comprised of 16 graduating seniors. I use demographic surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observations to investigate the experiences of these 16 mathematics majors. Third floor respect is a concept used to denote the mathematical prowess among Black male mathematics majors on the third/top floor of the academic building. Third floor respect is the central finding that ultimately described this mathematics learning community's peer interactions and departmental attributes. Implications for practice and research are shared to advance asset-based empirical mathematics learning community scholarship, refute deficit narratives concerning Black men's mathematical abilities, and broaden the participation of Black men in mathematics.

Guided by theories of socialization and possible selves, this study examines how STEM doctoral students perceive their academic and professional trajectories. More specifically, we rely on four years of interview data from 66 doctoral students in the biological sciences to explore students' perceived trajectories, focusing on the salient identities and experiences that shape the way students identify and describe their graduate experiences over time. Findings reveal wide variation in terms of how students described their trajectories, with some students describing linear trajectories and/or unchanging career interests, while others described their developmental trajectories as highly turbulent and non-linear. These perceived trajectories were largely shaped by student-advisor interactions, the value students placed on becoming independent scientists, and the privilege students brought with them to their graduate programs.

Online learning outcomes have indicated both a gap between online and face-to-face learning and the amplification of this gap for low-income and minority learners. Evidence from studies across K-16 reveals equity issues regarding access to online courses; student attendance and achievement; and, most recently, the impact of the pandemic. This article uses Warschauer's conceptual framework of resources that shape digital inclusion-physical, human, and social-to conceptualize the equity concerns that arose during the pandemic-induced shift to emergency distance learning. This framework reveals equity issues across all three areas from abruptly moving millions into online learning environments without: requisite access to up-to-date computers and broadband internet access, the skills needed to succeed in less structured online classes, or teachers trained to effectively conduct classes online. Finally, we leverage Warschauer's framework to discuss ways to address these concerns and increase equity in online learning, as well as directions for research.

This study explored whether different types of instructional visuals-knowledge maps and pictorial illustrations-encourage students to focus on specific types of conceptual relationships during learning. Undergraduates (n = 134) studied a text lesson on the human nervous system accompanied by maps (text-with-maps group), illustrations (text-with-illustrations group), or no visuals (text-only group). Then all students orally explained what they learned as if they were teaching a peer. The text-with-maps group generated more hierarchical relationships than the other two groups, and both visual groups generated more temporal relationships than the text-only group. The groups did not significantly differ in the number of structural relationships generated. On a subsequent post-test, only the text-with-maps group significantly outperformed the text-only group, and the two visual groups did not significantly differ from each other. These findings highlight how different visuals affect the types of relationships students focus on when learning from the same text.

This paper describes the results of surveys and interviews from over 1800 students in five large STEM classes at a research university when classes abruptly moved online for spring quarter 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine how students’ expectations compared to their realities at the end of the quarter; what factors impacted their spring 2020 quarter; and students’ academic sense of belonging, self-efficacy, cost of engagement, and effort regulation in spring 2020. We contextualize students’ experiences of emergency distance learning (EDL) through quantitative comparisons to previous quarters, open survey responses, and interviews. We also examine heterogeneity with respect to race/ethnicity, gender, first-generation college students, and students from low-income families. We find that there are reasons to expect increased achievement gaps post-EDL, but we also find examples of resiliency and improved self-regulated learning that will be life-long assets for students. Our goal in this paper is to use exploratory findings from one particular context to help identify potential ways to disrupt the reproduction and deepening of educational inequality exacerbated by the crisis, and educational opportunities in these unconventional times. © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

In the interest of understanding choices related to achievement, persistence, and performance that inform pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, the current research pursued a novel approach to asking young children about their beliefs related to engineering. The Engineering-Related Activities and Skills (ERAS) items were developed to use instead of the term 'engineering' to measure children's achievement-related ability beliefs (competence) and subjective task values (importance, interest). A range of methods across three studies were implemented in the development and assessment of evidence related to the internal structure of the ERAS items across the domains of ability beliefs and subjective task values (N = 949 students). Results suggest initial evidence for the ERAS items being valid in measuring children's perceptions of engineering-related competence, importance, and interest. Theoretical and practical implications related to the factors that influence the academic and career choices in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, as well as future directions are outlined.

In this paper, I discuss undergraduate students' engagement in basic Python programming while solving combinatorial problems. Students solved tasks that were designed to involve programming, and they were encouraged to engage in activities of prediction and reflection. I provide data from two paired teaching experiments, and I outline how the task design and instructional interventions particularly supported students' combinatorial reasoning. I argue that emergent computational representations and the prompts for prediction and reflection were especially useful in supporting students' reasoning about fundamental combinatorial ideas. I argue that this particular mathematical example informs broader notions of disciplinary reflexivity and representational heterogeneity, providing insight into computational thinking practices in the domain of mathematics. Ultimately, I aim to explore the nature of computing and enumeration, shedding light on why the two disciplines are particularly well-suited to support each other. I conclude with implications and avenues for future research.