ArticleScience advances2020
Reducing achievement gaps in undergraduate general chemistry could lift underrepresented students into a "hyperpersistent zone".
Article in Science advances, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Meta-analysis of Gender Performance Gaps in Undergraduate Natural Science Courses.CBE life sciences education · 2021Pooled it
- A prosocial value intervention in gateway STEM courses.Journal of personality and social psychology · 2023Trial
- Utility-value intervention promotes persistence and diversity in STEM.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Trial
- What is Competition in STEM Classes? "It's Not Just the Curve".CBE life sciences education · 2026Article
- What Counts in General Chemistry? An Exploratory Look at What Was Emphasized and Rewarded on General Chemistry Exams Across the United States.Journal of chemical education · 2026Article
- Implementation of SCALE-UP in First-Year Chemistry at an HBCU.Journal of higher education theory and practice · 2026Article
- Mental FLOSS for faculty: effects of an inter-institutional community of practice on faculty mindset and inclusive teaching in higher education.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2025Article
- Perceived Inequities in STEM Classes Make Them Feel Competitive.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Grade Disparities Associated with Student Demographics in Upper-Division Biology Courses Across Multiple Institutions.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Enhancing Student Engagement and Success in General Chemistry Through Supplemental Co-Class Models.Journal of chemical education · 2025Article
- Article
- Investigating the Evolution of Student Attitudes toward Science in a General Chemistry Course Using Latent Class and Latent Transition Analysis.Journal of chemical education · 2025Article
- Undergraduate STEM Students' Perceptions of Grading Practices Reveal that Quiz Retakes Positively Impact Drivers of Self-determination.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- An Asynchronous Chemistry-in-biology Intervention Improves Student Content Knowledge and Performance in Introductory Biology.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Implementation of didactic strategies for assurance of learning with students at risk of academic failure in general chemistry.F1000Research · 2025Article
- A 24-year longitudinal study on a STEM gateway general chemistry course and the reduction of achievement disparities.PloS one · 2025Article
- How students taking introductory biology experience the chemistry content.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2024Article
- Visualizing Inequities: A Step Toward Equitable Student Outcomes.CBE life sciences education · 2024Article
- Low-Stakes, Growth-Oriented Testing in Large-Enrollment General Chemistry 1: Formulation, Implementation, and Statistical Analysis.Journal of chemical education · 2024Article
- Promoting inclusivity in ecology, evolution, and behavioral biology education through course-based undergraduate research experiences.Bioscience · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Students from underrepresented groups start college with the same level of interest in STEM majors as their peers, but leave STEM at higher rates. We tested the hypothesis that low grades in general chemistry contribute to this "weeding," using records from 25,768 students. In the first course of a general chemistry series, grade gaps based on binary gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family education background ranged from 0.12 to 0.54 on a four-point scale. Gaps persisted when the analysis controlled for academic preparation, indicating that students from underrepresented groups underperformed relative to their capability. Underrepresented students were less likely than well-represented peers to persist in chemistry if they performed below a C-, but more likely to persist if they got a C or better. This "hyperpersistent zone" suggests that reducing achievement gaps could have a disproportionately large impact on efforts to achieve equity in STEM majors and professions.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.