Project Grant 2613671

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded California State University Long Beach Research Foundation $122,999 on October 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to conduct collaborative research on a wellbeing intervention for improving statistics learning.

The project, titled "A Wellbeing Intervention for Improving Statistics Learning," is a Level 1 IUSE ESL collaboration between California State University, East Bay and California State University, Long Beach. The intervention teaches students about prosocial behaviors and kind acts, then supports them in developing and engaging in kind acts directed at peers in introductory statistics courses. The research addresses student mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, and negative self-affect in early statistics coursework by exploring three core questions: whether a kind acts intervention improves student wellbeing and statistics performance; whether improved wellbeing mediates the relationship between the intervention and improved performance; and whether statistics performance improvement follows a pathway from intervention to general wellbeing to situational wellbeing. The project will compare the kind acts intervention against two control interventions using pre-post surveys on statistics knowledge and mental health constructs, student course outcomes, and engagement data. An external evaluator will provide formative and summative feedback.

Performance occurs in Long Beach, California, with a period of performance from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029.