04/07/2021
By Naomi Wernick

The Kennedy College of Science, Department of Biology, invites you to attend a master's thesis defense by Alex Eden entitled “Identifying Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors That Influence Academic Success in an Introductory Biology Course.”

The defense will be held on April 20 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Please contact Naomi Wernick for meeting information if you are interested in attending. The committee will be composed of Naomi Wernick (thesis advisor), Eliza Bobek, Sumudu Lewis and Rick Hochberg. An abstract is provided below.

Abstract: Students frequently face many obstacles at the university level; however, their ultimate success may be heavily influenced by pre-collegiate factors. In this study, we explored what these pre-collegiate factors might be. Specifically, we focused on K-12 experiences of college students in an introductory biology course. Factors we focused on were as follows: poverty level of the community in which students’ high schools were located, percent of minority students who attended the students’ high school, and the expenditures per student at the students’ high school. We also focused on the demographics of students in the study and whether they were considered to be underrepresented in STEM. Our study indicates that students from high poverty areas are likelier to struggle at the university level; these students tended to get a higher proportion of C/D/F grades (33.0%) in an introductory biology course when compared with students from a less poverty-stricken area (17.1%). These high-poverty communities also tend to contain a higher population of underrepresented minority students (URM), the same students who colleges are trying to retain in STEM. To elaborate, many of these impoverished schools contained a student body that was more than 50% URM (48.9% of schools); whereas most schools in less poverty-stricken areas contained a population that did not exceed 50% URM (99% of schools). When connecting minority status with poverty, students from a low-minority, low-poverty school had a higher average final grade (87.6) than those from high-minority, high-poverty school (73.7). While most students in these high poverty schools qualified for free or reduced lunch (59.1%), the median expenditures per pupil by these districts was lower ($14,468) than that of low poverty schools ($16,211). This funding disparity may further compound issues these schools face. Based on qualitative data, we also know that these economically disadvantaged students experience fewer positive experiences (46.2%) and more challenges in high school (30.8%) compared to their counterparts (70%; 15%). By identifying the factors affecting these students, equitable supports may be implemented in K-12 education so that everyone enters a university on an even playing field.

All interested students and faculty members are invited to attend.