Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a broad theory focused on describing how the features of particular contexts can facilitate motivation and subsequent wellness in individuals. SDT includes six related mini-theories, one of which is the basic psychological needs theory. This theory suggests that individuals need competence, autonomy, and relatedness to foster motivation and subsequent wellness in their environment. Autonomy is the need to feel that one's actions are self-directed and align with one's values and interests. Competence is the desire to feel effective and capable of handling challenges and tasks. Relatedness is the need to feel connected and valued by others to foster a sense of belonging. 

In ACT-STEM, we specifically use autonomy, competence, and relatedness to describe the psychological needs of faculty in STEM departments. We argue that STEM departments tend to suffer from three problematic cultural manifestations that result in unmet psychological needs of the faculty. These three problematic cultural manifestations include an isolationist culture (a culture that suppresses relatedness with respect to teaching relationships), a weed-out culture (a culture that suppresses competence with respect to teaching all students), and a stagnant culture (a culture that suppresses autonomy with respect to instructors’ imagination of and action toward pedagogical advancement).  

Through the TRIOS, positive psychology, and diffusion of innovations, this project seeks to shift the culture of STEM departments towards a collaborative, inclusive, and growth culture. By collaborative culture, we mean a teaching culture that promotes the relatedness of faculty, where colleagues are invited into peers' classrooms, and teaching is often discussed through informal and formal channels. We describe an inclusive culture as a teaching culture that promotes the competence of faculty to believe that all students can succeed and should be supported in STEM by using high-impact practices. By growth culture, we mean a teaching culture that promotes the autonomy of faculty to continually work on their teaching practices through deep and meaningful reflection and leveraging their unique strengths. By grounding our TRIOS approach in SDT and positive psychology, faculty are more likely to be open to changes in their instructional practices and be open with others.  

Strength-based reflexivity is an approach that uses positive psychology to encourage individuals to reflect on their experiences by focusing on personal strengths and resilience. It involves examining how one's strengths have been applied in past challenges or successes, allowing for greater self-awareness and confidence.

Positive psychology focuses on positive emotions, strengths, and virtues, in contrast to traditional psychology's focus on weakness, damage, and mental illness. It emphasizes amplifying strengths rather than repairing weaknesses. This approach counters shame or feelings of inadequacy that instructors might feel when entering into instructional reflexivity, instead allowing for a safe, supportive, and encouraging venue to share and reflect on one’s teaching. Identifying these strengths improves both personal and professional aspects of faculty life, such as helping them reflect on their teaching, feel less isolated, and improve practical teaching.

Diffusion of Innovations Theory is a framework to explain the dynamics of the adaptation of new ideas or innovations by a society or social system. It places people or groups of people on a spectrum depending on their propensity to adopt and utilize the innovative idea. Those that develop new ideas and innovations and participate in pilot testing are known as innovators. Those that adopt new ideas directly following innovators are known as early adopters, followed by the early majority. The late majority are inclined to resist the innovation but adopt it after observing the early majority. The laggards, with the highest propensity to resist, tend to adopt the innovation last.

It is posited that once the innovative idea reaches the early majority, the continued spread of the innovation becomes self-sustained, i.e. the innovation begins spreading amongst adopters without significant efforts from the original innovators or administrators. This critical point between the early adopters and early majority is known as the “chasm” and is where a niche idea or innovation transforms into one with mass appeal. The ultimate success of an idea or innovation rests on whether the innovation successfully crosses the “chasm”.

In the context of ACT-STEM, Phase I will expand teaching TRIOS to early adopters by working with a small group of instructors to adopt TRIOS. Phase II will identify leaders within the Phase I instructors to leverage them to diffuse TRIOS throughout the remainder of the departments. The goal of Phase II is to learn how to bridge the “chasm” using departmental leadership training. Phase III will enact the diffusion to the early majority, with the Phase II instructors acting as leaders to TRIOS groups covering a larger proportion of instructors in the departments.