Peer-Led Team Learning is Associated with an Increased Retention Rate for STEM Majors from Marginalized Groups

Lack of diversity in the science community is a serious concern for social justice, scientific productivity, equity and efficacy. The first year of undergraduate education is of critical importance in increasing diversity in these fields. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) has previously been shown to be associated with higher student achievement in gateway courses, particularly among students from populations that have been underserved and excluded within STEM fields (often referred to as underrepresented minorities, or URMs). We sought to determine whether participation in PLTL in an undergraduate introductory biology course is associated long-term retention rates among URM students in STEM majors. We used institutional data related to student recruitment and retention rates as well as pertinent demographic information over three and a half years subsequent to the introductory biology course experience. These data were combined with data on PLTL participation from the introductory biology course. Among students who did not engage in PLTL, URM students were significantly less likely to remain in STEM fields than non-URM students. However, no significant difference in STEM retention rates between URM and non-URM students was observed among those students who engaged in PLTL. Additionally, we found that retention rates were significantly higher for URM students who engaged in PLTL versus those who did not. These findings identify PLTL as a potential strategy to improve URM student recruitment and retention in STEM majors and indicate a need for further studies to determine the important aspects of PLTL that may lead to improved outcomes for URM students. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings of the 13th Annual Research Symposium," National Association of Biology Teachers, 2021.]