Efficacy of A Mixed Methods Approach to Analyzing Educational Enrichment Activities: a mixed methods approach

Merna Villarejo Deborah Kogan

Amy Barlow Brian Veazey

Melanie Jones Lina Mendez-Benavidez

Jennifer Sweeney Sarah Ovink

School of Education

University of California, Davis

Funded by NIH NIGMS MORE program "Efficacy of Interventions"

Overall Research Question

Does participation in undergraduate science enrichment activities encourage students to pursue biology-based professions and provide them with the tools to do so?

Mixed Methods Approach

Quantitative Study of College Achievement:
[All UCD biology entrants 1995-99, n=6,878]
Statistical methods (multivariate logistic regression) to find factors that correlate with persistence and performance in biology.
Qualitative Study of BUSP Alumni
[Study pool = graduates from 1992-2004 with GPA ≥ 2.7]

Surveys (n= 201) to define career path and factors important to career choices.
Interviews with subset of survey respondents (n=109) to discover motivation and influences on career choices.

Overall Research Question

Does participation in undergraduate science enrichment activities prepare and encourage minority students to pursue biology-based professions?

Study tools

Statistical analysis of college achievement
Alumni survey
Alumni interviews

Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP)
at UCD, 1988-present

Comprehensive

academic enrichment in chemistry, math & biology
advising
research experience

Large scale

55-65 new freshmen each year

Multi-year

Pre-freshman summer bridge through sophomore year

Largely underrepresented minority students (URM)

Multivariate logistic regression shows that undergraduate research participation is associated with high graduation rates in biology majors and graduation with high grades in biology majors, for students of all races and ethnicities.

Causality???????

UG research → Biology interest

Biology interest → UG research

BUSP Alumni Career Path Survey

Track High Achieving BUSP Alumni

Graduates from 1992-2004 with GPA ≥ 2.7 (n = 322)

Alumni Survey (respondents = 201) tells us:

What components of BUSP were most helpful in achieving academic success.

Alumni's post-college career paths.
Some important factors in making career choices.

Biomedical Careers in Research

19% of BUSP Alumni selected biomedical careers in research

Alumni credit supplemental instruction with helping them to excel academically.

MEDICAL DOCTORS (34 %)

BIOMEDICAL PhDs

(12 %)

OTHER ALLIED HEALTH (10 %)

ALLIED HEALTH DOCTORATE (7 %)

BIOMEDICAL TECHNICIANS (7%)

OTHER (21 %)

OTHER PHD (5 %)

UNDECIDED (4 %)

70 % of respondents selected
biomedical careers

Reasons for not pursuing a PhD

Medical Doctors

Desire to directly serve the community, prestige of medicine

Technicians

College debt load

Some lack academic qualifications

Allied Health Doctorates

Job security and availability

Other careers better accommodate raising a family

Reasons For Pursuing a Biomed PhD

PhDs

Have substantive interest in science
Expressed joy in doing research
Recognized practical problems but continued despite them

Out of 24 Biomedical When do Biomed PhDs: make their career choices?

5 research was main interest at college entry.

8 interested in research at college entry, but also considering other options.

11 pre-med, changed to PhD after undergraduate research experience.

Finding:

At college entry, most BUSP participants are unfamiliar with the career options associated with the PhD. Many start out on the pre-med path and only discover their research interest during college, largely as the result of participation in undergraduate research.

Policy implication:

To encourage more minorities pursue careersundergraduate

research opportunities should be expanded beyond those already seriously interested in research to include "pre-med" students.