Who faces stereotypes on your campus? 4/6/2018 Psychological Interventions for Student Success Cyndi Kernahan Professor of Psychology and Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, UW‐River Falls Who faces stereotypes on your campus? What groups of students concern you the most? Why?

Groups That Often Experience Campus More Negatively 4/6/2018 Groups That Often Experience Campus More Negatively •Low Income Students •First Generation Students •Immigrant Students •Students of Color •Women in Science and Math •Students with Disabilities •Sexual Minorities Barriers to Persistence/Completion 1) Financial and Structural 2) Psychological and Sociological Belonging and Ability Uncertainty I’m not sure if I belong here I’m not sure if I can trust this place

What contributes to (not) belonging? 4/6/2018 What contributes to (not) belonging? •Implicit and Explicit Biases and Discrimination •Stereotype Threat •Lowered performance •Disidentification with academics over time Steele, 2010; Yeager et al., 2016 Setbacks and Challenges (both normal and specific to the group) Doubts about Belonging and/or Ability Downward Spiral of Underachievement (lack of persistence, worse outcomes)

How Threat Narrows our View 4/6/2018 Intervention #1: Values Affirmation How Threat Narrows our View •Worrying we don’t belong makes us vigilant‐we scan for cues about belonging •Increases stress, decreases energy, short‐ term focus •Example: Academic Conferences?

Interrupting the Cycle‐Affirmation 4/6/2018 Interrupting the Cycle‐Affirmation •Values Affirmations •We think about ourselves more broadly •More than students, professors, etc. •Alleviates the threat by making it a smaller part of how we see ourselves •We can focus again Sherman, Hartson, Binning, Purdie‐Vaughns, Garcia, Taborsky‐Barba, Tomassetti, Nussbaum, & Cohen, 2013 Values Affirmation Intervention •First and Continuing Generation Students‐ Introductory Biology for Pre‐Med and Biology Majors (Gateway) •Choose Most Important (Least Important) •Art‐Music‐Theater •Social Life‐Relationships •Science‐Pursuit of Knowledge •Religion‐Morality •Government‐Politics Harackiewicz, Canning, Tibbets, Giffen, Blair, Rouse, & Hyde, 2014

More about Why This Works 4/6/2018 What happened? Why? •More B’s than C’s •Greater persistence to second semester course (first gen students) • First gen narrowed the gap with continuing gen students Why? •Connecting to larger self via connecting to others Writing about belonging is the “key ingredient” Harackiewicz, Canning, Tibbets, Giffen, Blair, Rouse, & Hyde, 2014; Silverman & Cohen, 2014; Shnabel, Purdie‐Vaughns, Cook, Garcia, & Cohen, 2013 More about Why This Works •2‐year study of white and Latino college students after affirmation or control •Assessed GPA, belonging, and how they responded to stressful situation •Affirmation increased GPA and belonging for Latino students and nearly closed the achievement gap Brady, Reeves, Garcia, Purdie‐Vaughns, Cook, Tomasetti, Davis, & Cohen, 2016

How might you apply the values affirmation? 4/6/2018 Affirmed Learners •The intervention triggered a process that unfolded over time and produced a different kind of learner; one with a stronger sense of belonging in school and one who spontaneously marshaled greater self‐ affirming and less self‐threatening responses when faced with an academic stressor •See stressors in a larger context; build confidence through achievements over time Brady, Reeves, Garcia, Purdie‐Vaughns, Cook, Tomasetti, Davis, & Cohen, 2016 How might you apply the values affirmation? •Sample Va lues Affirmation •Keep in mind: •Use at the beginning •No name is needed •Only once •Do not talk about what you expect or why you are doing this

Interrupting the Cycle‐Belonging 4/6/2018 Intervention #2: Social Belonging Interrupting the Cycle‐Belonging •4 year study of black and white students • Read narrative that framed social adversity as shared and short‐lived, most overcome • Wrote own essay and delivered as a short speech for “future students” • Control condition • Measured GPA, health and well being over time and at follow up 3 years later Walton & Cohen, 2011

Results‐Treated Black Students 4/6/2018 Results‐Treated Black Students •Higher GPA over time and at 3 year follow up (whites did well regardless of condition) •Cut achievement gap in half •Untethered daily adversity from feelings of belonging (nightly diaries) •Stronger sense of belonging Walton & Cohen, 2011 How might you apply a social belonging intervention? CTC Custom Guide to Belonging •Note‐I used this to create a 30 minute intervention packet for all our College’s First Year Experience Courses Keep in mind: Use at the beginning No name is needed Only once Do not talk about what you expect or why you are doing this

Intervention #3: Active Pedagogy More Active Pedagogy 4/6/2018 Intervention #3: Active Pedagogy More Active Pedagogy Traditional Classes (Intro Biology): •4 Exams, 3 Homework Sets •In‐Class Activities (<15%) Moderate Structure (Intro Biology): •Guiding Reading Questions •Preparatory Homework •In‐Class Activities (35%) Eddy and Hogan, 2014

Also‐Increased Course Belonging 4/6/2018 What Happened? Why? •Improved exam performance, lowered failure rate for all (esp. black and first generation students, halved achievement gap) •Devoted more time to coursework •2.6 more hours per week •2x more likely to complete reading •4.7x more likely to say homework is important Eddy and Hogan, 2014 Also‐Increased Course Belonging •2x more likely to report strong sense of classroom community •2.4x more likely to report that students in the class know each other •Especially good for black students‐increased their in‐class participation significantly Eddy and Hogan, 2014

Discussion: Are College Lectures Unfair? 4/6/2018 Discussion: Are College Lectures Unfair? https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/opinio n/sunday/are‐college‐lectures‐unfair.html How might you apply a more active pedagogy? •Particular course? •What types of activities and structure might you add?

Other Interventions •Purpose and Relevance 4/6/2018 Other Interventions •Purpose and Relevance •Feedback (high expectations, belief they can achieve those expectations) •Growth Mindset Setbacks and Challenges (both normal and specific to the group) Doubts about Belonging and/or Ability Downward Spiral of Underachievement (lack of persistence, worse outcomes)

Key Points and Reminders 4/6/2018 Intervention Short Circuit Doubts, Slow down Mistrust Upward Spiral of Achievement and Confidence Key Points and Reminders •Cannot remedy inadequate preparation or structural inequalities •Its not about effort or confidence Its about trust in the environment •Should never be described to students as an intervention