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The Effects of Peer Mindsets in Online Biotechnology Course Partnerships
Author(s) -
Dums Jacob,
Sengupta Arnab,
Srougi Melissa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.02425
Subject(s) - mindset , general partnership , psychology , critical thinking , medical education , academic achievement , perception , homogeneous , mathematics education , medicine , political science , computer science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , law , physics , thermodynamics
Students’ self‐beliefs about their intelligence can have significant effects on academic achievement and other outcomes. Growth‐minded intervention efforts by teachers and parents have been shown to increase student academic engagement and achievement. However, little is known about how peers’ mindsets influence one another. In this ongoing study, undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an online molecular biotechnology course were placed in heterogeneous or homogeneous partnerships based on their mindset beliefs. Student partnerships worked collaboratively on critical thinking assignments throughout the semester online both synchronously and asynchronously. Using a mixed‐methods study design, we assessed mindset, students’ self‐efficacy, and academic performance. Our data suggest that regardless of partnership, students’ mindsets did not significantly change from the beginning (n=46) to the end (n=46) of the semester. However, there was an increase in self‐efficacy for all students. Furthermore, students in heterogeneous partnerships (n=30) on average outperformed students in homogenous partnerships (n=16) on identical critical thinking group examinations. Collectively information gleaned from these and future studies will provide insight into the roles of peers’ mindsets on individual student learning and perceptions.