Research

The Woods lab looks at factors that influence student success in academic settings, focusing on psychological factors and resource knowledge and use that impact student outcomes such as feelings of efficacy, as well as more tradition student success measures, such as individual success in a class or overall GPA. In short, the lab studies how various factors (i.e. mentoring, appraisals of academic challenges and threats, resource knowledge and use, and sense of belonging) might impact student experiences and associated success. We have a partnership with the Transfer Student  Center (TSC) and conduct research on the Transfer Student Mentorship Program on both student success, as well as the campus climate for transfer students. The lab also has a collaboration with SciTrek, an phenomenon based science outreach program. I serve as a co-lead on a project as part of the Sloan Equity and Inclusion in STEM Introductory Courses (SEISMIC).   

Mentorship Provides Transfer Students with Keys to Navigate Academia and Increase Belonging and Academic Success

Transfer students face unique challenges when they transfer into a four year institution and bring valuable perspectives to the space. We take an assets based approach to discussing transfer student experiences and looking at the role of mentorship in student success. To frame this we use a multidisciplinary approach, which draws from Deci and Ryan’s self determination theory, and Yosso’s community cultural wealth model. Our findings show that mentorship positively affects transfer student’s sense of belonging, resource use, as well as being associated with positive academic outcomes (e.g. GPA). I am the co-lead researcher on this project with Dr. Malaphone Phommasa, and we recruit undergraduate researchers who are involved with the data collection, analysis, and presentation each year. I have successfully obtained campus funding to support this ongoing mentorship project, and have recently received funding to conduct a campus-wide transfer climate survey.

SciTrek Positively Affects Students and Elementary School Teachers

The second focus of my research is part of a collaboration with Drs. Norbert Reich and Darby Feldwinn in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department that developed and implemented an elementary-high school science outreach program, SciTrek. I became interested in looking into programs that affect students' interest in science earlier in their educational careers, and the data suggest that a prime target for science interest is elementary school.  I work with Darby Feldwinn to collect data on elementary students' attitudes towards, interest in science, as well as looking at their perceptions of scientists using the Draw A Scientist Test and a self-reported identity as scientists measure. We have a conference presentation on the positive effects of the professional development aspect of SciTrek on elementary school teacher confidence and infusion of science in the classroom and are currently developing two manuscripts, one showing program efficacy, and the other looking at gender differences in attitudes, perceptions of scientists, and identity in the elementary school students.

Helsel, R., Lambert, S., Dickerson, L., Strelich, J.S. Woods, V.E. & Feldwinn, D. (2021) Design of a phenomenon-based science outreach program and its effects on elementary students’ epistemological understanding of, and attitudes towards, science. School Science and Mathematics.  http://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12515

Access to Disciplinary Practice Through Structured Peer Review to Foster Belonging and Course Success

Disciplines function as groups that have norms, common practices, and language that must be mastered if students are to feel comfortable navigating that discipline. Most of us have operated in our discipline for so long that many of these norms, practices, and nuances of language have become second nature to us, meaning we tend not to explicitly explain these norms and practices to students, creating a disconnect between students and professors. I aim to train students explicitly in the norms (e.g. evidence in psychology is making claims from data), practices (e.g. we develop testable hypotheses from theories and models), and language (e.g. significance means something different in Psychology) that we employ in Psychology with the goal of creating comfort navigating Psychology courses, and fostering a sense of identity as a Psychologist. We have data that suggests that these structured peer review assignments foster student’s sense of confidence in their ability to think and write as a psychologist, and are associated with course success. These findings are integral to understanding the factors that lead to a sense of belonging if we are to address issues of equity and inclusion in college courses. I serve as a lead person in this project, working collaboratively with Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner and Dr. Margarita Safronova. 

Woods, V.E., Safronova, M., & Adler-Kassner, L. (2021) Guiding Students Towards Disciplinary Knowledge with Structured Peer Review Assignment. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21, 4, 160-175. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i4.4216