(Press-News.org) Washington, December 6, 2023—Students achieve better grades in college science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses when those classrooms have higher numbers of underrepresented racial-minority and first-generation college students, according to new research released today. The findings were published in AERA Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.
While this link holds true for all students, it is even stronger for students who are underrepresented racial minorities (URMs) and the first in their family to attend college. The authors found that in STEM courses with higher URM representation, the gap in grades between URM and non-URM students dropped by 27 percent. More impressive, the grade disparity between first-generation and continuing-generation students dropped by 56 percent in STEM courses with high first-generation representation.
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in college grades and graduation rates have been long-standing concerns in STEM programs, especially given the nation’s pressing need to grow its STEM workforce and the higher salaries that these graduates earn. In addition, the authors emphasize that all students benefit from the presence of URMs and first-generation students in the classroom.
“It’s really notable that improving racial and socioeconomic representation leads to benefits for everyone and reduces inequities at the same time,” said study coauthor Nicholas Bowman, a professor of educational policy and leadership studies at the University of Iowa. “It is not a zero-sum game.”
Bowman conducted the study with Christine Logel (Renison University College), Jennifer LaCosse (University of Michigan–Flint), Elizabeth A. Canning (Washington State University), Katherine T. U. Emerson (Indiana University), and Mary C. Murphy (Indiana University). Their study analyzed data collected by the College Transition Collaborative, covering 11,868 undergraduates in 8,468 STEM courses at 20 U.S. colleges and universities from fall 2015 to summer 2017.
With the Supreme Court eliminating the use of race-conscious college admissions last June, the authors note their findings make clear what is at stake for students as institutions of higher education look to alternative ways to increase racial and socioeconomic representation.
“It is critical that colleges and universities redouble their efforts to create learning environments that have substantial diversity,” said Bowman. “This is especially true in the STEM fields, where there are long-existing equity gaps.”
Bowman noted the study is the first on this topic to use such a large, multi-institutional data set. It is also one of the first to examine the role of classroom representation of first-generation students. In addition, the authors accounted for potential student self-selection into certain types of courses or into classes with demographically similar peers and other possible explanations.
“The consistency of results across student and course characteristics drives home the importance of our results,” said Bowman. “Despite the presence of long-standing systemic inequities, policies that promote college access for URM and first-generation students can make a difference when it comes to improving learning outcomes.”
Study citation: Bowman, N. A., Logel, C., LaCosse, J., Canning, E. A., Emerson, K. T. U., & Murphy, M. C. (2023). The role of minoritized student representation in promoting achievement and equity within college STEM courses. AERA Open, 9(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584231209957
###
About AERA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads
END
Study: diverse college classrooms linked to better STEM learning outcomes for all students
Underrepresented racial minorities and first-generation students show the most improvement
2023-12-06
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Repeated blast exposures may harm the brain health of military personnel
2023-12-06
The brains of special warfare community personnel repeatedly exposed to blasts show increased inflammation and structural changes compared with a control group, potentially increasing the risk of long-term, brain-related disease, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Naval Medical Research Command (NMRC) led the study, which compared the brains of nine special operations personnel exposed to blasts with a control group of nine military service members with only minimal exposures to blasts. Participants’ brains were analyzed using sophisticated imaging techniques, combined with surveys ...
New findings reveal important insights into age-related nonresolving inflammation
2023-12-06
Philadelphia, December 6, 2023 – Aging is associated with chronic, nonresolving inflammation, or “inflammaging,” that can lead to tissue dysfunction. New findings reported in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, reveal insights into the cellular programs and factors that promote the resolution of inflammation during aging. These findings may lead to the development of new strategies to limit age-related organ decline.
The resolution of inflammation is an active process that is governed by numerous factors, such as specialized ...
JAMA Editor in Chief Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo named one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential of 2023
2023-12-06
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Ph.D., M.D., M.A.S.., Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the JAMA Network™ has been named as one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare 2023 for the second year in a row.
This program acknowledges and honors individuals who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential figures in the industry in terms of leadership and impact.
"It’s an honor to be recognized for two consecutive years by Modern Healthcare," ...
Model uses sociodemographic factors to predict aromatase inhibitor non-adherence risk
2023-12-06
A new risk model uses baseline sociodemographic and financial measures to predict which patients prescribed long-term therapy with aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer are at significantly higher risk of stopping that therapy early (non-adherence).
The work will be presented in a poster spotlight discussion session at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) on Wednesday, December 6th.
The authors analyzed data from the SWOG S1105 clinical trial, including measures of patient adherence to aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy for hormone-sensitive breast cancer. They created a model ...
Newly developed floating trash interceptor cleans up the river
2023-12-06
To reduce marine debris, which causes serious environmental pollution in the sea, researchers at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-suk) have developed a technology for reducing floating debris in rivers.
Since the river is the main transportation channels for land-originated marine debris, the research team led by Dr. Sang Hwa Jung launched a living lab project involving local governments, local citizens, and experts.
Chungcheongnam-do (also ...
Morressier and senior leaders from academic publishing form Strategic Advisory Board to stimulate positive change in scholarly communications industry
2023-12-06
Berlin, Germany, and Washington, D.C., December 6, 2023 – Morressier, the company transforming scholarly communications, today announced the formation of a new Strategic Advisory Board composed of the most senior leaders from across the scholarly communications community. The Board, which is facilitated and supported by Morressier, will act as a lively, critical, and direct forum, stimulating innovation and collaboration across the industry on crucial issues such as research integrity and publishing workflows.
The ...
NIH awards $9 million for Indigenous-led Tribal Data Repository to improve community health in response to COVID-19 pandemic
2023-12-06
In an effort to improve the health of Tribal communities and Indigenous people, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $9 million in funding for Native scientists at Arizona State University and elsewhere to create the first Indigenous-led Tribal Data Repository.
Since the SARS-CoV-2 worldwide pandemic began, global Indigenous communities have been particularly hard hit, with health disparities including lack of access to health care and undue burden of infections leading to increased hospitalizations and higher death rates.
In response, Indigenous researchers and scientists have been working to secure and fund efforts to better understand the impact of COVID-19 and ...
Fascicle gearing dynamics: Unveiling 3D rotation effects in muscle elongation
2023-12-06
Detailed insights into muscle and tendon movement mechanisms during stretching are essential to improve our overall mobility and flexibility. It is not only important for optimum athletic performance, but also crucial for preventing musculoskeletal injuries. When an individual stretches, 50% to 70% of the elongation is absorbed into the muscle belly, i.e., the fleshy part of the muscle containing most fibers.
However, in skeletal muscles with fascicles, the muscle fibers are shorter than the muscle belly and attach to the tendon at an angle. This angle between the fascicles and the tendon changes in response to the length of the muscle belly ...
Greenhouse gases in oceans are altered by climate change impact on microbes – an Incheon National University study
2023-12-06
The ocean is a critical life-support system for our planet through its role in global climate regulation. It absorbs most of the carbon emissions and heat trapped in the atmosphere which are a result of human activities. Over the years, this has led to ocean warming (OW), ocean acidification (OA), and ocean deoxygenation (OD). Moreover, increased anthropogenic‑nitrogen-deposition (AND) has largely influenced marine environments. As part of these consequences, the gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are largely controlled by 'prokaryotes’ or microbial organisms living in the ocean. While several studies have analyzed ...
New study finds many couples around the world may share high blood pressure
2023-12-06
Research Highlights:
A study of married or partnered, middle-aged and older heterosexual couples in the U.S., England, China and India found that in 20% to 47% of the couples, both spouses/partners had high blood pressure.
The prevalence of both spouses/partners having high blood pressure was highest in England and the U.S., however, spouses/partners whose spouses/partners had high blood pressure were more likely to also have high blood pressure in China and India.
Researchers suggest couple-based interventions to improve high blood pressure diagnosis and management, such as couple-based screening, skills training or joint ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New antibody-drug conjugate shows promising efficacy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients
Iza-Bren in combination with osimertinib shows 100% response rate in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, phase II study finds
COMPEL study shows continuing osimertinib treatment through progression with the addition of chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in EGFR-mutated NSCLC
CheckMate 77T: Nivolumab maintains quality of life and reduces symptom deterioration in resectable NSCLC
Study validates AI lung cancer risk model Sybil in predominantly Black population at urban safety-net hospital
New medication lowered hard-to-control high blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease
Innovative oncolytic virus and immunotherapy combinations pave the way for advanced cancer treatment
New insights into energy metabolism and immune dynamics could transform head and neck cancer treatment
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Steven Heymsfield named LSU Boyd Professor – LSU’s highest faculty honor
Study prompts new theory of human-machine communication
New method calculates rate of gene expression to understand cell fate
Researchers quantify rate of essential evolutionary process in the ocean
Innovation Crossroads companies join forces, awarded U.S. Air Force contract
Using new blood biomarkers, USC researchers find Alzheimer’s disease trial eligibility differs among various populations
Pioneering advances in in vivo CAR T cell production
Natural medicines target tumor vascular microenvironment to inhibit cancer growth
Coral-inspired pill offers a new window into the hidden world of the gut
nTIDE September2025 Jobs Report: Employment for people with disabilities surpasses prior high
When getting a job makes you go hungry
Good vibrations could revolutionize assisted reproductive technology
More scrutiny of domestic fishing fleets at ports could help deter illegal fishing
Scientists transform plastic waste into efficient CO2 capture materials
Discovery of North America’s role in Asia’s monsoons offers new insights into climate change
MD Anderson and Phoenix SENOLYTIX announce strategic cross-licensing agreement to enhance inducible switch technologies for cell and gene therapies
Researchers discover massive geo-hydrogen source to the west of the Mussau Trench
Even untouched ecosystems are losing insects at alarming rates, new study finds
Adaptive visible-infrared camouflage with wide-range radiation control for extreme ambient temperatures
MD Anderson research highlights for September 5, 2025
Physicists create a new kind of time crystal that humans can actually see
Reminder: Final media invitation for EPSC-DPS2025 and details of media briefings on RAMSES and Juno missions
[Press-News.org] Study: diverse college classrooms linked to better STEM learning outcomes for all studentsUnderrepresented racial minorities and first-generation students show the most improvement