Academic Challenges and Motivation Among Asian and Asian American College Students in Computer Science

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 9:45 am
  In Poster Session: Social, Cultural, and Emotional Foundations of Student Learning and Motivation

Abstract

This study investigated Asian/Asian American college students’ academic challenges and their associations with learning motivation and career commitment in computer science. Data were collected from 314 college students at a large southeastern U.S. university through two online surveys. The five most common challenges were related to Understanding/Learning/Memorizing, Coding Ability, Instructor and Class, Putting in Effort, and Adjustment. Asian students who reported Understanding/Learning/Memorizing challenges tended to develop higher emotional cost than Asian peers who did not. When facing Coding Ability challenges, Asian students tended to show lower utility value compared to non-Asian peers. These findings highlight the need for culturally responsive instruction that better addresses the challenges faced by students from diverse cultural backgrounds and supports their motivation in STEM fields.

Authors

• Yichi Zhang, University of Georgia

• Emily Quinn Rosenzweig, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Harlee Robinson DiNello, University of Georgia