Making assumptions is an important step in solving many real-world problems. This study investigated whether participants who could solve well-defined physics problems could also solve a real-world physics problem that involved the need to make assumptions. The participants, who all had at least a BA in physics, were videotaped “thinking aloud” while solving three well-defined and one real-world problem and then interviewed about the problem-solving process. All the problems dealt with the same scientific content. The recordings were analyzed to identify similarities and differences in the
This paper discusses conceptions of identity in relation to science education and presents material from a series of interviews and focus groups with graduate students in science and technology. Given difficulties in retention and levels of significant participation by minority students indicated by aggregate data, the issue of race, as it informs critical interactions at a majority research university, is explored in terms of its effects on identity formation. It is argued that we need to look at “real-time” science to see how subtle interactions affect minority graduate students. These
This article is a response to Pike and Dunne's research. The focus of their analysis is on reflections of studying science post-16. Pike and Dunne draw attention to under enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, in particular, in the field of physics, chemistry and biology in the United Kingdom. We provide an analysis of how the authors conceptualize the problem of scientific career choices, the theoretical framework through which they study the problem, and the methodology they use to collect and analyze data. In addition, we examine the perspective they
The research recounted in this paper was designed primarily to attempt to understand the reasons for the low uptake of the natural sciences beyond compulsory education in England. This has caused widespread concern within governmental quarters, university science departments and the scientific community as a whole. This research explored the problem from the position of the students who recently made their choices. The student voices were heard through a series of interviews which highlighted the complexities of the process of post-16 choice. Social theories of pedagogy and identity, such as
The article discusses how undergraduate science students became docents for "The Genomic Revolution" exhibit at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the article, a docent is one who serves as a connection between the museum and the attendees and acts as an interpreter of the collection for the visitors. Undergraduate students were recruited from schools in the Atlanta, Georgia area including the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Spellman College. The docent training program that would cover the genetic principles of the exhibit, the Peer
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert PyattTracie RosserKelly Powell
The increasing need for communicating science to the public suggests that future scientists and science educators should be educated in science outreach and trained to communicate with lay audiences. We present a recently developed novel graduate course, which trains students in outreach efforts aimed to increase the public's understanding of science and of the role of science in our daily lives. In this course, the students, with the help of expert faculty mentors, prepare lay-language presentations about science-related topics of their choice and take the presentations to adult venues in the
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Hannah AlexanderAnna WaldronSandra Abell
This implementation study explores middle school, high school and community college student experiences in Globaloria, an educational pilot program of game design offered in schools within the U.S. state of West Virginia, supported by a non-profit organization based in New York City called the World Wide Workshop Foundation. This study reports on student engagement, meaning making and critique of the program, in their own words. The study's data source was a mid-program student feedback survey implemented in Pilot Year 2 (2008/2009) of the 5 year design-based research initiative, in which the
Successful online students must learn and maintain motivation to learn. The Self-regulation of Motivation (SRM) model (Sansone and Thoman ) suggests two kinds of motivation are essential: Goals-defined (i.e., value and expectancy of learning), and experience-defined (i.e., whether interesting). The Regulating Motivation and Performance Online (RMAPO) project examines implications using online HTML lessons. Initial project results suggested that adding usefulness information (enhancing goals-defined motivation) predicted higher engagement levels (enhancing experience), which in turn predicted
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Carol SansoneTamra FraughtonJoseph ZacharyJonathan ButnerCecily Heiner
This presentation given at the 2013 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting examines evidence for the effectiveness of STEM education programs at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Research Universities and the Future of America presents critically important strategies for ensuring that our nation's research universities contribute strongly to America's prosperity, security, and national goals. Widely considered the best in the world, our nation's research universities today confront significant financial pressures, important advances in technology, a changing demographic landscape, and increased international competition. This report provides a course of action for ensuring our universities continue to produce the knowledge, ideas, and talent the United States needs to
American Chemical Society President Bassam Z. Shakhashiri appointed and charged this Commission to undertake a wholesale review of graduate education in the chemical sciences over a yearlong period. This document is a compact rendition of the Commission's final report, emphasizing only main conclusions and recommendations. The Commission judges that the sate of graduate education in the chemical sciences is healthy in many respects, but has not kept pace with the significant changes in the world's economic, social, and political environment since the end of World War II, when the current
Graduate education in the United States plays a critical role in the success of the U.S. workforce and economy, attracting and producing influential researchers, innovators, and leaders. U.S. graduate schools are the environments in which students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in the global economy and solve problems of national and global scope. The link between graduate education and American prosperity has never been stronger than it is today. But little is known at the granular level about what our graduates do, how their work life progresses, and how well the
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Commission on Pathways Through Graduate School and Into CareersCathy WendlerBrent BridgemanRoss MarkleFred ClineNathan BellPatricia McAllisterJulia Kent