Grant recipients: Richard Eibach, Alex Huynh and Franki Kung, Department of Psychology
Project Team (Left to Right): Richard Eibach, Franki Kung, Alex Huynh
(Project timeline: September 2016 - August 2017)
Description
This project aimed to enhance students’ learning experiences by helping instructors capitalize on diverse classroom environments. Specifically, we hoped to investigate how holding a malleable mindset – e.g., the belief that people are capable of changing, would allow students to overcome conflicts that might arise from diverse perspectives. Moreover, we wanted to measure how different cultural values of being independent may play a role in students’ success, feelings of belonging in the University, and overall ratings of their course. Despite the fact that diversity can sometimes be a source of group conflict, we hoped to show that when it is approached with the appropriate mindset, diversity can foster a deeper, more effective learning experience.
Questions Investigated
The intended purpose of this project was to specifically investigate the experience of students who had to work with other students in their courses. To that end, we administered surveys to students in courses that included group assignments. In an initial survey at the start of the Fall 2016, Winter 2017, and Spring 2017 terms, we measured students' perceptions of ethnic diversity in their classrooms, as well as their endorsement of individualistic cultural values – i.e., seeing themselves as unique and independent. We also measured their endorsement of beliefs about how malleable people are. These were broken down into separate forms of malleability (e.g., racial malleability, statements such as “a person’s race is something very basic about them and it can’t be changed much”; and general malleability, statements such as “everyone is a certain kind of person, and there is not much that they can do to change that”). At the end of the term, students repeated these measures in a follow up survey, and were then asked to rate how much they felt they belonged at the University, and how positively they felt about their courses/instructors.
Findings/Insights
Although our original intent was to investigate how diversity and malleable mindsets impacted group experiences and performance, we faced some difficulty obtaining enough information on student’s experiences working with their groups. Despite this, we were able to obtain a number of interesting findings overall. Below are a few highlights of findings across the three academic terms wherein we completed our research studies:
- Greater perceived ethnic diversity in classrooms was associated with greater malleability mindsets about race – e.g., Lower agreement with statements such as “A person’s race is something very basic about them and it can’t be changed much.”
- Greater malleable mindsets about race were associated with greater ratings of positive experiences with the classroom – i.e., higher ratings on the question “Overall, how positively would you rate your experience with your course?”
- The relationship between ethnic diversity and positive ratings of the class was statistically significantly mediated by changes in malleable mindsets about race, suggesting that people who felt their classrooms were ethnically diverse rated that they had a positive experience, because they felt that racial boundaries were malleable.
- Greater perceived ethnic diversity in classrooms was associated with greater ratings of belonging to their course and the University, as well as whether they would recommend their instructor.
- The previous two effects (Point 4) on belongingness and instructor recommendation were statistically moderated by whether people endorsed cultural values of individualism (e.g., agreement that they are unique and independent individuals). Specifically, people who endorsed being unique and independent, felt greater belongingness, and recommended their instructor more when their classrooms were perceived to be ethnically diverse. However, in comparison, people who did not endorse being unique and independent reported significantly lower feelings of belongingness. and recommended their instructor less when their classrooms were perceived to be ethnically diverse.
Dissemination and Impact
- At the individual level: The findings were discussed between students and colleagues within the Department of Psychology.
- At the national and/or international levels: This work was presented as part of a larger presentation at the 78th annual Canadian Psychological Association in Toronto in June of 2017.
Impact of the Project
- Teaching: The experiences with this project offer insight into the importance of considering ethnic diversity in student populations, and sensitivity to its impact on a student’s learning experience. Given the diversity in the UW student population, fostering a sense of intercultural efficacy (e.g., that culture is malleable and that members of different cultures are valued individuals) appears to be a fruitful tactic for enhancing student experiences. Nevertheless, this conclusion will require future research to further examine.
- Involvement in other activities or projects: One of the student collaborators on this project (Alex Huynh) was invited to assist with another ongoing LITE grant due to his experience with this project.
- Connections with people from different departments, faculties, and/or disciplines about teaching and learning: This grant put us in touch with a number of other faculty members in other departments, particularly in the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering department. From these connections, we were able to have very interesting discussions and shared ideas about how to enhance student’s experiences.
References
Project Reference List (PDF)