GIFTS: Making Research Experiences Meaningful through Critical Self-Reflection

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dc.contributor.authorDeCrescenzo, Peter
dc.contributor.authorJangha, Sunji
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-18T15:18:26Z
dc.date.available2023-08-18T15:18:26Z
dc.date.issued2023-06-25
dc.description2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, Maryland, June 25-28, 2023en_US
dc.description.abstractIn this Great Ideas for Teaching Students (GIFTS) paper, we offer learning outcomes that we are beginning to recognize from our eight-week research experience for undergraduates (REU). There are four characteristics that have been found to be essential to success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields: a strong sense of STEM identity, scientific self-efficacy, a sense of belonging, and a psychological sense of community. This is especially true for first-year and transfer students pursuing STEM undergraduate degrees. A variety of studies have been published that go into detail about why these characteristics in particular have such a significant effect on student performance and retention. This paper will present Critical Self-Reflection as a practical way to integrate development of these characteristics into student research experiences to foster experiential learning that goes beyond increasing technical skills. STEM students are not often trained to critically self-reflect on their experiences in classroom and research settings. An inability for undergraduates to reflect intentionally on their experiences creates greater risk for attrition from STEM disciplines. Curated reflective experiences in collaborative learning settings can offer professional development opportunities to enhance students’ social and technical communication skills. There are four phases within the scaffolded Critical Self-Reflection framework: Learning to Reflect, Reflection for Action, Reflection in Action, and Reflection on Action. When applying the evidence-based practice, STEM undergraduate researchers describe their perceptions via three activities: creating a legacy statement, participating in facilitated dialogue sessions, and writing curated reflection journal entries within an REU. Through critical self-reflection exercises, we are beginning to find growth of first-year and transfer STEM undergraduates in the following areas: understanding of their role in the lab; confidence in their researcher identity; expression of agency; observation and communication skills; and intentionality for action. Participating in this self-reflection allows students to make meaning of their experience enabling them to hone the aforementioned characteristics that creates a pathway from their undergraduate experience to undergraduate degree completion, graduate degree attainment, and to the STEM workforce.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://peer.asee.org/gifts-making-research-experiences-meaningful-through-critical-self-reflectionen_US
dc.format.extent8 pagesen_US
dc.genreconference papers and proceedingsen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2zjwd-fghc
dc.identifier.citationDeCrescenzo, P., & Jangha, S. (2023, June), GIFTS: Making Research Experiences Meaningful through Critical Self-Reflection. Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, Maryland. https://peer.asee.org/43807en_US
dc.identifier.otherhttps://peer.asee.org/43807
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/29276
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherASEEen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Staff Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Office of Academic Opportunity Programs
dc.rights© 2023 American Society for Engineering Educationen_US
dc.titleGIFTS: Making Research Experiences Meaningful through Critical Self-Reflectionen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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