In the United States, the comparatively low number of completed degrees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is of current concern. The National Science Board (National Science Board, 2016) has reported that compared to China, India, and the European Union, the U.S. holds a relatively low number of all science and engineering degrees conferred globally, at only 9%. Additionally, the NSB Science and Engineering Indicators (2018) shows that the United States is not meeting its goal of leading the way for advancements in science and related industries, and in fact has a lower level of basic STEM skills than many other countries. There is national recognition of an inadequate number of STEM graduates to fulfill the need for STEM careers. In 2018, the White House released a 5 year STEM strategy outlining the visions and goals for STEM education in the United States, particularly now that STEM employment opportunities are growing at a faster pace than non-STEM employment opportunities (http://www.whitehouse.gov). The low number of conferred degrees, alongside the lack of basic STEM skills, leaves many unfilled employment opportunities, which means that the United States is not producing the number of STEM graduates required for its desired workforce (Chen, 2013).
Factors influencing student attrition
Of key importance to efforts aimed at achieving more STEM degrees and a higher level of basic STEM skills is to keep students engaged and satisfied with their undergraduate coursework. Research shows students tend to find STEM courses competitive, unsupportive, and unwelcoming, and they perceive an uncomfortable distance between themselves and their professors (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). To keep students in STEM disciplines, classroom factors such as outdated and ineffective modes of teaching, an intimidating classroom climate, and a general lack of student nurturing need to be addressed (Finn & Campisi, 2015; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). STEM attrition, defined as students “moving away from STEM fields by switching majors to non-STEM fields or leaving postsecondary education before earning a degree or certificate” (Chen, 2013, p. iii), is not merely a matter of poor course performance. It is, rather, a problem for both high performing and low performing students in STEM courses (Marra, Rodgers, Shen, & Bogue, 2012; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). Hence, additional factors must be considered alongside possible solutions for students to feel more connected to the instructor and the course content.
While some factors contributing to attrition rates are more or less outside of institutional control (e.g. student finances, poor student-institution fit, and changing of career goals), Lau (2003) also identified institutional factors that could potentially be addressed by shifting from traditional, lecture-based methods to an active learning approach. Lau’s first factor was that traditional learning environments are often not aligned with the educational needs of all students. Lau’s second factor is coursework and course load expectations that are outside of many students’ ability to manage effectively. Where active learning strategies may be most effective is in addressing the failure of institutions to adequately engage and motivate students, which has been attributed to a lack of appreciation for material presented in the classroom because it is not applied to real world situations (Lau, 2003). Lau proposed that a third factor contributing to attrition from STEM fields is the lack of appropriate role models or mentors in the academic environment. Peer Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an active learning strategy that has the capacity to address these concerns regarding inadequate learning environments and students’ ability to manage coursework while simultaneously presenting students with a potential role model who may be more relatable than a faculty member. It is reasonable to expect that student-peer leader interactions may differ in their dynamics from student-faculty interactions in ways that could potentially influence student persistence in STEM majors.
The impact of student perception in learning
Micari and Pazos (2012) found that students who perceived positive relationships with faculty earned higher grades and had increased confidence in introductory chemistry courses. Their research identified faculty approachability, faculty respect for students, and students perceiving the faculty as a role model as the qualities defining a positive student-faculty relationship. Similarly, our study aims to measure potential benefits of Peer-Led Team Learning among students who view their peer leader as relatable, and, separately, as a role model. Peer leaders have been assumed to be role models in previous research (Johnson, Robbins, & Loui, 2015; Wilson & Varma-Nelson, 2016), and it reasonable to expect additional academic benefits for students who perceive their peer leaders as role models. In addition, we will explore how student-peer leader relationships may be associated with students’ level of achievement and perceived learning gains in the context of a high-enrollment introductory biology course.
Peer-led team learning and student-student interactions
PLTL has been implemented in a diverse array of higher education settings where it has provided an opportunity for students to learn outside of traditional lecture halls with a group of 6–8 fellow students and a peer-leader who has previously been successful in the same course (Gosser et al., 1996). PLTL workshops commonly supplement larger introductory courses and have been successfully implemented in a wide variety of STEM fields such as biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics (Eberlein et al., 2008; Quitadamo, Brahler, & Crouch, 2009; Stewart-Gardiner, 2010). The success of the PLTL model has been credited to the student-to-student interactions and an environment that promotes discussion, is non-judgemental, and may be less intimidating for many students (Finn & Campisi, 2015; White, Rowland, & Pesis-Katz, 2012). Additionally, these interactions often take place between the students and a peer leader without the direct oversight of someone with authority to assign grades in the course, such as a professor or a teaching assistant.
PLTL relies on the attendance and active participation of students in weekly workshops to complete prescribed problem sets and construct original responses through discussion and collaboration. The discussion is facilitated by the peer leader, a student who has recently succeeded in the course and trained in group leadership by a learning specialist (Gosser et al., 2001; Gosser Jr. & Roth, 1998; Tien, Roth, & Kampmeier, 2004). The main role of the peer leader is not to provide answers to the problems or to teach students directly, but rather, to engage the group in problem-solving activities, facilitate student conversations of scientific concepts and ideas, and encourage students to develop their own conceptual understanding of scientific topics (Eberlein et al., 2008; Gosser et al., 2001). A notable difference between a peer leader and a typical professor of a large course is that peer leaders have the ability to relate to and support their students from a perspective of recent personal experience and success as students in the same course (Finn & Campisi, 2015; White et al., 2012). Gosser et al. (2001) asserts that, while peer leaders are not to be considered experts in the field, their status as students who recently and successfully completed the course positions them well as facilitators in a nonthreatening setting.
If students were to view their peer leader as a role model this would help to address the third factor of attrition identified by Lau (2003). The unique relationship between peer leaders and students may bridge the gaps associated with faculty instructors’ perceived relatability or status as a viable role model. These characteristics may enhance the already documented benefits of faculty investments in student learning and active learning techniques such as increased persistence, retention and course satisfaction (Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000), as well as increase student enthusiasm for learning (Woodward, Gosser, & Weiner, 1993). Collaboration has been shown to enhance learning outcomes such as academic achievement, student attitudes, and student retention (Prince, 2004). In general, as students learn more they will feel more satisfied with the course, tend to enroll in more courses in the discipline, and persist to graduation (Zerger, Clark-Unite, & Smith, 2006). PLTL has already been shown to improve student attitudes towards the subject under study, as well as increase exam scores, quiz grades, and final course averages (Eberlein et al., 2008; Finn & Campisi, 2015; Gosser et al., 1996; Peteroy-Kelly, 2009; Snyder, Carter, & Wiles, 2015; Snyder, Sloane, Dunk, & Wiles, 2016; Wilson & Varma-Nelson, 2016). We therefore also expected that the interactions between peer leader and student during PLTL sessions may influence students’ self-assessed learning gains and final course grade in our course.
Peer leaders as role models
Previous literature has suggested that peer leaders serve as more than just facilitators during PLTL sessions, asserting that they may also serve as role models to the students in the PLTL group (Wilson & Varma-Nelson, 2016). The eligibility criteria for service as a peer leader include having earned a high grade in the given course as well as receiving group leadership training with a learning specialist, and these criteria are communicated to the students they will lead. It is therefore possible that students might naturally view peer leaders as competent and exemplars of behavior associated with success in STEM. Additionally, students are likely to find similarities between themselves and the peer leader that can help to establish relatability. Recent completion of the same course may seem trivial, but previous research has found shared attributes such as attending the same university, enrolling in the same major, having the same career goals, or having the same desire for academic success can be enough to establish relatability (Lockwood & Kunda, 1997). Even aspects of a shared college-life experience outside of academics, such as familiarity with local student spaces and the campus social scene may generate feelings of similarity or relatedness (Brown, Novick, Lord, & Richards, 1992). Given all of this, peer leaders may be expected to meet the two characteristics identified by Marx and Ko (2012) as essential to role model status that will enhance the behavior of others: similarities and competency.
Scope of study
The current study aims to determine the students’ perception of their peer leader as 1) relatable and 2) a role model, and to study the impact these perceptions have on students’ self-assessed learning gains as well as final course grades. Based on prior research described above, we expected to find a high percentage of students who related to their peer leader, and a substantial number of students who considered their peer leader to be a role model. We further expected that these positive relationships would result in higher perceived learning gains and final course grades when compared to PLTL students who did not view their peer leader as either relatable or a role model. Our findings will shed light on how interactions between peer leaders and students enhance student success and provide further insight into the benefits of the PLTL model.
We used the following tests to explore whether students viewing their peer leader as relatable, and separately, as a role model may have an influence on students’ self-assessed learning gains and final course grades:
- i.
The effect of students’ perceptions of their peer leader as relatable and STEM major status on their self-assessed learning gains, determined by two-way ANOVA
- ii.
The effect of students’ perceptions of their peer leader as a role model and STEM major status on their self-assessed learning gains, determined by two-way ANOVA
- iii.
The effect of students’ perceptions of their peer leader as relatable on final course grade, determined by Chi square analysis
- iv.
The effect of students’ perception of their peer leader as a role model on final course grade, determined by Chi square analysis