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Florida International University

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

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A Quantitative Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers Beliefs Towards Implementing Multicultural Curriculum, Camila Basterrechea Apr 2019

A Quantitative Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers Beliefs Towards Implementing Multicultural Curriculum, Camila Basterrechea

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

While the number of individuals that pursue a higher education degree has increased, white students still makeup the majority of students with 58%, while blacks make up 15%, Hispanics 17%, Asian/Pacific 7%, and American Indian/Alaskan at .8% (NCES, 2018). One possible means to bridge this racial gap, is to utilize multicultural curriculum. Multicultural education is an idea, movement, and process that is designed to increase educational quality for all students (Banks, 1995). Implementing multicultural curriculum in the classroom allows student to connect the content with their lives. This method of inclusive teaching increases student engagement and interest by providing them …


Democratizing Science Communication Training Access For Stem Graduate Students, Idarabasi Akpan Apr 2019

Democratizing Science Communication Training Access For Stem Graduate Students, Idarabasi Akpan

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

INTRODUCTION: STEM graduate students are the future of science communication and will serve as science ambassadors. Increasingly, communicating science to the public is recognized as the responsibility of professional scientists; however, these skills are not always included in graduate training. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of what science communication training is like from the point of view of today’s STEM graduate students. METHODS AND DATA SET: A survey was distributed across the US in 2018. We received 143 complete responses from STEM graduate students in 24 states, two US territories, and three international locations. We have a gender ratio …


The Effect Of Physics Identity And Conceptual Understanding On Physics Career Choice, Steven Castillo Apr 2019

The Effect Of Physics Identity And Conceptual Understanding On Physics Career Choice, Steven Castillo

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Two approaches have been taken historically to study the issue of persistence in physics: to improve student affect (e.g. interest, motivation) and facilitate conceptual understanding (e.g. physics knowledge). Initially, much of the focus of physics education research was on conceptual understanding, often to the detriment of student affect. More recently, research has shifted focus towards studying student affect and in particular, physics identity. However, very little research addresses the simultaneous effects of physics identity and conceptual understanding. This research attempts to bridge the gap by examining how conceptual understanding and students’ physics identity impacts students’ decision to remain in the …


Can Different Learning Styles Aid In Understanding Primary Scientific Literature?, Amy Acosta Apr 2019

Can Different Learning Styles Aid In Understanding Primary Scientific Literature?, Amy Acosta

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

INTRODUCTION: Primary scientific literature (PSL) is a great source of information of what scientists are researching. These results discovered by scientists are very important because this is the foundation of our advancements as a society. Most universities do not require students to read PSL as part of the curriculum. Our lab is interested in making PSL more accessible to a wider audience, including non-STEM majors. Specifically, we aim to increase student interest and engagement in reading PSL. Would incorporating different learning styles into how students interact with PSL increase student interest (biology and non-biology) in reading PSL? METHODS: A questionnaire …


Female Tutor’S Perceptions Of Having Free Acccess To Menstruation Products In A Writing Center, Natalie Casabone Apr 2019

Female Tutor’S Perceptions Of Having Free Acccess To Menstruation Products In A Writing Center, Natalie Casabone

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Most writing centers at U.S. four-year institutions hire undergraduates as peer tutors and many of them are female. Women have received strong cultural messages about their bodies, including sexually objectification, and that their physical functions, such as menstruation, should be concealed. Female tutors’ damaged self-recognition from the outside can lead to internalized selfidentification and further impact their perceptions of their knowledge and consultations in writing centers. The acceptance and accessibility of feminine products would boost work ethic among female tutors and hopefully break down the taboo associated with the female menstrual cycle. We conducted a mixed methods case study to …


How Socially Deviant And Socially Agreeing Stereotypes Of Computer Scientists Contribute To Middle School Boys’ Identity And Career Intentions, Karina Bhutta Apr 2019

How Socially Deviant And Socially Agreeing Stereotypes Of Computer Scientists Contribute To Middle School Boys’ Identity And Career Intentions, Karina Bhutta

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Like other STEM fields, computer science (CS) lacks representation of minority groups both in the number of bachelor’s degrees obtained and the number of individuals in the CS workforce. Out-o- -school CS programs are often designed with the intent to inspire young people to pursue careers in CS. Much of this programming focuses on developing student interest in CS and CS careers. Nevertheless, it is not well understood how the stereotypes that children hold about computer scientists contribute to CS interest and career choice. In this study we set out to examine the complex relationships between CS interest, held stereotypes, …


Reconceiving The Role Of Immersive Professional Development Experiences On K-12 Stem Teacher Retention In The Classroom, Ariadna Pereiras Apr 2019

Reconceiving The Role Of Immersive Professional Development Experiences On K-12 Stem Teacher Retention In The Classroom, Ariadna Pereiras

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

The impact of immersive teacher leadership professional development (PD) on K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teacher retention in the classroom is not well understood. While some argue that these kinds of experiences drive STEM teachers out of the classroom, research suggests that teacher job satisfaction plays a much larger role in their decision to stay in the classroom and leadership opportunities can contribute to that satisfaction. In order to understand the relationship between immersive leadership PD and retention we performed a phenomenological analysis of interviews from 26 alumni of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF). The AEF …


Video Introductions From Authors Can Aid Non-Science, Kiana Kasmaii Apr 2019

Video Introductions From Authors Can Aid Non-Science, Kiana Kasmaii

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Primary scientific literature (PSL) is a source of information of current research. Most universities don’t require students to read PSL; this is especially true for non-science majors. I’m interested in asking non-science majors “If you could meet the author of a research paper, what would you ask them?” Methods: A questionnaire was developed in order to investigate what other learning styles students are interested in. Two groups of students were tested; one group of biology majors (n=360) and another group of non-biology majors (n=20). Students read a selected annotated PSL article and then completed a questionnaire. Quantitative and qualitative research …


Worksheets Can Aid Non-Science Majors In Understanding Primary Scientific Literature, Chelsey Manrique Apr 2019

Worksheets Can Aid Non-Science Majors In Understanding Primary Scientific Literature, Chelsey Manrique

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

INTRODUCTION: Primary scientific literature (PSL) is a source of information of what scientists are researching. Most universities do not require students to read PSL. My lab has partnered with the Science in the Classroom project, which features annotated PSL, to further understand how students interact with PSL. Research has shown that worksheets help students by providing guided questions to assist students in understand course content. My research question incorporates both annotated PSL and worksheets that contain crossword puzzles and data analysis. I predict that combining these techniques into one single intervention will result in both Biology and non-biology majors having …


To Teach Or Not To Teach, Andrew Marichal Mar 2017

To Teach Or Not To Teach, Andrew Marichal

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Recruiting STEM teachers is a persisting issue that has not been fully addressed. There is little research that currently exists with regards to recruitment. While some qualitative data exists on why people choose to teach STEM as a career, there is very little quantitative evidence to support this qualitative work. In our work we draw on a large national survey study to better understand when students choose math/science teaching as a career and what predicts whether students will persist in these teaching goals by the time they begin college. Our results indicate that 76.3% of students who expressed an interest …


Out Of Kendall, Paula Almeida Mar 2017

Out Of Kendall, Paula Almeida

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

The Out of Kendall Project focuses on introducing young children in first and second-grade to the following competencies: global empathy, slowing down, and appreciating their surrounding and other places. The project utilizes approaches adopted from Harvard University’s Project Zero that provide pedagogical approaches, thinking routines that allow the students to comprehend these competencies. The Out of Kendall Project introduces young learners to Paul Salopek’s journey of walking 21,000 miles around the seven continents. Paul documents his journey for everyone to watch and to partake. Project Zero created a website called Out of Eden Learn that allows classrooms around the world …


A University-Based Summer Camp To Promote Construction Technology Career For High School Students, Armando Carrasquillo Mar 2017

A University-Based Summer Camp To Promote Construction Technology Career For High School Students, Armando Carrasquillo

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

This presentation reports on high school students’ deep learning of fundamental concepts in programming during a pilot summer program organized to promote construction-related careers, especially construction technology careers, to high school students. The program introduced concepts from programming, virtual reality, and construction disciplines to students who had little to no experience in these fields. The two-week long program utilized a project-based learning approach to increase relevance and deep learning, in addition to exposing students to learning concepts using hands-on experiences. The program brought about interest in taking an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems in the field of construction. The project …


Working As A High School Student Vs Academic Performance, Beatriz Oliva Martinez Mar 2017

Working As A High School Student Vs Academic Performance, Beatriz Oliva Martinez

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

During the mid 20th century, a scholar panel was given the job of concluding on a previously under-researched subject. Without sufficient evidence, it was deduced that experiencing employment while being a young adult would enhance academic achievement. The federal government implemented rules and regulations in the educational system for schools to start the application of classes like “work experience.” The flaw behind these recommendations is that there is a lack of indisputable evidence leading to this conclusion. Different studies have tried to establish a solution with consistent evidence, but the level of ambiguity to this topic has led to an …


Sex Trafficking Awareness Among Adolescents, Emily Riumbau Mar 2017

Sex Trafficking Awareness Among Adolescents, Emily Riumbau

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Sex Trafficking is a growing concern for the United States of America. This research investigation identifies the level of awareness from a group of individuals about 14 to 18 years old, allowing for the improvement of prevention methods for younger populations. The data for this study reported an overall trend in which students had an insufficient understanding for sex trafficking and its occurrences. Student responses contained higher mean scores as the grade levels increased. The data supports the argument that students are not as aware as they may need to be; however, 10th grade students responded either “slightly agree” or …


Peer Leaders’ Perceptions Of Learning Experiences, Nataly Rodriguez, Alberto Cruz, Stephanie Sardinas, Aida Ramon Mar 2015

Peer Leaders’ Perceptions Of Learning Experiences, Nataly Rodriguez, Alberto Cruz, Stephanie Sardinas, Aida Ramon

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) at Florida International University maintains a large volume of student and Peer Leader (PL) participation. Students, who participate in PLTL, on average, perform a letter grade better than their peers who do not participate in PLTL. To analyze PL perspectives on learning, a survey was conducted. The survey had a series of Likert scale statements and free response questions on learning. The nature of the questions are regarding barriers in education, individual learning strengths and weaknesses, and the perception that PLTL improved the learner’s capabilities to overcome these obstacles. Based on the survey responses, PLs perceive …