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Establishing Baseline Measurements of Adaptive Expertise in First-Year STEM Students

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Conference

ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Spring Conference

Location

George Washington University, District of Columbia

Publication Date

April 19, 2024

Start Date

April 19, 2024

End Date

April 20, 2024

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--45748

Permanent URL

https://sftp.asee.org/45748

Download Count

28

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Paper Authors

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Maxine Fontaine Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science)

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Maxine Fontaine is a Teaching Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in 2010 from Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. Maxine has a background in the biomechanics of human movement, and she currently teaches several undergraduate courses in engineering mechanics. Her research interests are focused on improving engineering pedagogy and increasing diversity in engineering.

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Frank T Fisher Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science) Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-4476-5040

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Ashley Lytle

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Abstract

Adaptive expertise is a construct developed to identify the cognitive skills involved in recognizing when and how to apply knowledge to successfully solve complex problems. The framework adopted for this study decomposes adaptive expertise into four distinct constructs: (1) multiple perspectives, (2) metacognition, (3) goals and beliefs, and (4) epistemology. The aim of the study is to establish baseline measurements along the four dimensions of AE among various populations of first-year students in STEM. Specifically, we are interested in studying differences in adaptiveness between students with and without limited-income status. We are also interested in studying differences in adaptiveness between men and women. From survey data collected from our incoming class over the past two years, preliminary results indicate that women score significantly higher than men in three dimensions (MP, META, and EPIST), but significantly lower than men in GB (goals and beliefs). Limited income students score lower than their non-LI counterparts in all AE dimensions, but significantly so in only two dimensions (MP and EPIST). Additional data collection is needed to understand how to interpret variations in scores and to establish baseline measurements with greater confidence.

Fontaine, M., & Fisher, F. T., & Lytle, A. (2024, April), Establishing Baseline Measurements of Adaptive Expertise in First-Year STEM Students Paper presented at ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Spring Conference, George Washington University, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--45748

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