Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 9;16(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06338-7.

Peer-led team learning in an undergraduate biology course: Impacts on recruitment, retention, and imposter phenomenon

Mariah C Maxwell  1 , Julia J Snyder  2 , Ryan D P Dunk  3 , Jeremy D Sloane  4 , Isabella Cannon  2 , Jason R Wiles  5
Affiliations

Peer-led team learning in an undergraduate biology course: Impacts on recruitment, retention, and imposter phenomenon

Mariah C Maxwell et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objectives: The data presented in this note were collected during a multi-year project conducted in the context of large-enrollment introductory biology course at a large private R-1 research institution in the Northeastern United States. The project aimed to examine the impact of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) on the recruitment and retention of marginalized groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. While several results from the project have been published, additional data of interest have yet to be reported. This data note reports on additional associations between PLTL participation and improved outcomes for students from groups that have historically been excluded in STEM. Additional data reported herein were collected to determine if students in the course experienced imposter phenomenon, and whether PLTL may be associated with reduced levels of imposter feelings.

Data description: The data in this note includes academic information such as final course grades and academic level; socio-demographic information such as gender identity, minority status, and first-generation status; and information on student recruitment, retention, imposter feelings, and participation in Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL). These data might be useful and of value to education researchers and undergraduate STEM instructors who are interested in improving equity in STEM education.

Keywords: Biology; First-generation college student; Gateway course; Imposter phenomenon; Peer-led team learning (PLTL); Recruitment; Retention; Undergraduate; Underrepresented minority (URM); Women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

References

    1. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Science without borders. Washington, D.C.; 2011.
    1. Freeman S, Eddy S, McDonough M, Smith M, Okoroafor N, Jordt H, et al. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2014;111(23):8410–5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1319030111. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Theobald EJ, Hill MJ, Tran E, Agrawal S, Nicole Arroyo E, Behling S, et al. Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2020;117(12):6476–83. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1916903117. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gosser D, Roth Vi, Gafney L, Kampmeier J, Strozak V, Varma-Nelson P et al. Workshop chemistry: Overcoming the barriers to student success. Chem Educ. 1996;1(1).
    1. Wilson SB, Varma-Nelson P. Small groups, significant impact: a review of peer-led Team Learning research with implications for STEM education researchers and faculty. J Chem Educ. 2016;93(10):1686–702. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00862. - DOI

Supplementary concepts