PERC 2024 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | How speed on basic STEM skills mediates demographic variations in course grades. |
|---|---|
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Abstract: | Prior research has found demographic differences in STEM course grades. Women, Black, Hispanic, and first-generation students often receive lower grades, which points to issues with our educational system. Accuracy on basic STEM skills commonly measured by scores on ACT, SAT, or diagnostic tests administered in a course, often at least partially accounts for the variance in grades. But we recently found that in addition to accuracy, speed on basic skills is also predictive of grades. So we looked for demographic differences in speed, to answer if these differences could explain more variance in grades. We found some evidence to support this, especially for underrepresented ethnic minorities, suggesting that overemphasizing or rewarding speed in class or exams could further discriminate against marginalized groups in STEM. We propose a mediation model where speed and accuracy on basic skills mediate the demographic dependence of grades and discuss some ideas to test it. |
| Session Time: | Poster Session 1 |
| Poster Number: | A21 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Harish Moni Prakash Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43201 Phone: 8573401922 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Andrew F. Heckler, Ohio State University |
