Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Equity & Social Justice In Mathematics Education With Eva Thanheiser, Eva Thanheiser

PDXPLORES Podcast

Professor Eva Thanheiser's research lies at the intersections of mathematics education, social justice, and critical theory. In her work, she collaborates with teachers, students, parents, and community members to develop and implement anti-bias mathematics education that allows students to connect mathematics to their worlds. In this episode of PDXPLORES, Thanheiser discusses this work and its impact on mathematics education.

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Problematizing Perceptions Of Stem Potential: Differences By Cognitive Disability Status In High School And Postsecondary Educational Outcomes, Dara Shifrer, Daniel Mackin Freeman

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) potential of youth with cognitive disabilities is often dismissed through problematic perceptions of STEM ability as natural and of youth with cognitive disabilities as unable. National data on more than 15,000 adolescents from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 first suggest that, among youth with disabilities, youth with medicated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have the highest levels of STEM achievement, and youth with learning or intellectual disabilities typically have the lowest. Undergraduates with medicated ADHD or autism appear to be more likely to major in STEM than youth without cognitive disabilities, and youth …

From Ideas To Items: A Primer On The Development Of Ordered Multiple-Choice Items For Investigating The Progression Of Learning In Higher Education Stem, Katherine Lazenby, Morgan E. Balabanoff, Nicole M. Becker, Alena Moon, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Identifying effective methods of assessment and developing robust assessments are key areas of research in chemistry education. This research is needed to evaluate instructional innovations and curricular reform. In this primer, we advocate for the use of a type of assessment, ordered multiple-choice (OMC), across postsecondary chemistry. OMC assessments are grounded in a developmental perspective, which treats students’ knowledge as developing in sophistication over time. This is in contrast to a dichotomous perspective, which asserts that students’ knowledge is either aligned or misaligned with scientifically accepted knowledge. By drawing on a developmental perspective, OMC assessments offer insights into student understanding …

Clarity On Cronbach’S Alpha Use, Jack Barbera, Nicole Naibert, Regis Komperda, Thomas C. Pentecost

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Cronbach’s alpha (α) statistic is regularly reported in science education studies. However, recent reviews have noted that it is not well-understood. Therefore, this commentary provides additional clarity regarding the language used when describing and interpreting alpha and other estimates of reliability.

Multicourse Comparative Study Of The Core Aspects For Flipped Learning: Investigating In-Class Structure And Student Use Of Video Resources, Nicole Naibert, Emryse Geye, Michael M. Phillips, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since 2013, the number of publications on flipped learning within chemistry have steadily increased. However, most of these studies focus on flipped course reforms within individual institutions, while the outcomes of any learning environment are dependent on how the environment is structured and the degree to which students interact with its elements. In this study, we apply a coordinated set of assessment practices to investigate similarities among flipped chemistry courses at five institutions in the United States. All courses in the study followed the two basic tenets of flipped learning: (1) foundational information was delivered through preclass materials (PCMs), and …

Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference: A Meeting Report, Erin L. Dolan, Michelle Borrero, Kristine Callis-Duehl, Miranda M. Chen Musgrove, Joelyn De Lima, Isi Ero-Tolliver, Laci M. Gerhart, Emma Goodwin, Lindsey R. Hamilton, Meredith A. Henry, Jose Herrera, Bethany Huot, Stacey Kiser, Melissa E. Ko, Marcy E. Kravec, Mark Lee, Lisa B. Limeri, Melanie E. Peffer, Debra Pires, Juan S. Ramirez Lugo, Starlette M. Sharp, Nicole A. Suarez

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 2019 Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference (UBER GRC), titled “Achieving Widespread Improvement in Undergraduate Education,” brought together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners working to identify, promote, and understand widespread adoption of evidence-based teaching, learning, and success strategies in undergraduate biology. Graduate students and postdocs had the additional opportunity to present and discuss research during a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that preceded the GRC. This report provides a broad overview of the UBER GRC and GRS and highlights major themes that cut across invited talks, poster presentations, and informal discussions. Such themes include the importance of …

Investigation Of Evidence For The Internal Structure Of A Modified Science Motivation Questionnaire Ii (Msmq Ii): A Failed Attempt To Improve Instrument Functioning Across Course, Subject, And Wording Variants, Regis Komperda, Kathryn Hosbein, Michael M. Phillips, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQ II) was developed to measure aspects of student motivation in college-level science courses. Items on the SMQ II are structured such that the word ‘science’ can be replaced with any discipline title (e.g., chemistry) to produce a discipline-specific measure of student motivation. Since its original development as the Science Motivation Questionnaire and subsequent refinement, the SMQ II and its discipline-specific variants have been used in a number of science education studies. However, many studies have failed to produce acceptable validity evidence for their data based on the proposed internal structure of the …

Work-In-Progress: Implementing Sophomore Cornerstone Courses In Electrical And Computer Engineering, Branimir Pejcinovic, Melinda Holtzman, Phillip Wong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many engineering programs have significant project-based courses in the freshman and senior years. The project component in our freshman year-long sequence evolves from minimally structured projects, like designing and building Rube-Goldberg contraptions, to more complex microcontroller-based projects where formal tools for teamwork and project management are introduced. However, we do not yet enforce strict adherence to procedures and processes in the freshman year. This is unlike the senior capstone, where the expectation is that students will not only be familiar with these methods but will use them effectively throughout their projects. This presents an obvious problem: what happens in the …

Addressing Diversity And Inclusion Through Group Comparisons: A Primer On Measurement Invariance Testing, Guizella A. Rocabado, Regis Komperda, Jennifer E. Lewis, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

As the field of chemistry education moves toward greater inclusion and increased participation by underrepresented minorities, standards for investigating the differential impacts and outcomes of learning environments have to be considered. While quantitative methods may not be capable of generating the in-depth nuances of qualitative methods, they can provide meaningful insights when applied at the group level. Thus, when we conduct quantitative studies in which we aim to learn about the similarities or differences of groups within the same learning environment, we must raise our standards of measurement and safeguard against threats to the validity of inferences that might favor …

Assessing Differences Between Three Virtual General Chemistry Experiments And Similar Hands-On Experiments, Cory Hensen, Gosia Glinowiecka-Cox, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

To date the efficacy of virtual experiments is not well understood. To better understand what differences may exist between a hands-on learning environment and a virtual learning environment, three experiments were chosen for investigation. For each experiment, approximately half of the students completed a hands-on version of the experiment and the other half completed a virtual version. After completing the given experiment, students were compared on: their ability to meet the learning objectives for that experiment, their responses to six affective scales, and their grade on a laboratory report. Differences were found on four learning objectives. Two of these learning …

Design Of Rubrics For Student Outcomes In 2019-2020 Abet Criteria, Branimir Pejcinovic

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

ABET is the main accreditation body for engineering programs in the United States and they have recently introduced a new set of Student Outcomes. This set was reduced from 11 to 7 items by combining several outcomes into one and adding some new ones. In our electrical and computer engineering programs we decided to design a set of seven general rubrics, one for each ABET outcome. These rubrics could then be used unaltered if course content fits them, or they can be adjusted to fit a particular course. To use a common description for rubrics, we wanted to keep the …

Alignment Of Theoretically Grounded Constructs For The Measurement Of Science And Chemistry Identity, Kathryn Nicole Hosbein, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Identity has been theorized to aid in student persistence within STEM disciplines. In this study, science and chemistry identity were defined as being recognized as a science or chemistry person within the classroom. To generalize the effects that identity has on student persistence, a measurable construct must be defined, operationalized, and tested in multiple settings with different populations. This project addressed the first step in the process, defining the construct and grounding it in an established theoretical framework. This qualitative project utilized a previously described physics identity framework, with sub-constructs of performance/competence, recognition, and interest, as a starting point for …

Board 63: Work In Progress: Adapting Scrum Project Management To Ece Courses, Branimir Pejcinovic, Phillip Wong, Robert B. Bass

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Scrum is a popular form of Agile project management. Its applications now include diverse areas such as software development, engineering, urban planning, and law. Scrum has also been used in software engineering educational programs, but its use in other engineering education is lagging. Within our electrical and computer engineering program, we introduced Scrum to help students improve their teamwork efficacy in projects and courses. Earlier, we have presented some initial experiences and observations when implementing Scrum in ECE courses. In this paper we will elaborate on how Scrum is applied across different years and how we scaffold student learning. Scrum …

Metrics And Methods Used To Compare Student Performance Data In Chemistry Education Research Articles, Michael R. Mack, Cory Hensen, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quasi-experiments are common in studies that estimate the effect of instructional interventions on student performance outcomes. In this type of research, the nature of the experimental design, the choice in assessment, the selection of comparison groups, and the statistical methods used to analyze the comparison data dictate the validity of causal inferences. Therefore, gathering and reporting validity evidence in causal studies is of utmost importance, especially when conclusions have real policy implications for students and faculty, among other stakeholders. This review examines 24 articles that reported quantitative investigations of the effect of instructional interventions on performance-based outcomes conducted within undergraduate …

Moving Beyond Alpha: A Primer On Alternative Sources Of Single-Administration Reliability Evidence For Quantitative Chemistry Education Research, Regis Komperda, Thomas C. Pentecost, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

This methodological paper examines current conceptions of reliability in chemistry education research (CER) and provides recommendations for moving beyond the current reliance on reporting coefficient alpha (α) as reliability evidence without regard to its appropriateness for the research context. To help foster a better understanding of reliability and the assumptions that underlie reliability coefficients, reliability is first described from a conceptual framework, drawing on examples from measurement in the physical sciences; then classical test theory is used to frame a discussion of how reliability evidence for psychometric measurements is commonly examined in CER, primarily in the form of single-administration reliability …

Using Quenching To Detect Corrosion On Sculptural Metalwork: A Real-World Application Of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Cory Hensen, Tami Lasseter Clare, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments are a frequently taught as part of upper-division teaching laboratories. To expose undergraduate students to an applied fluorescence technique, a corrosion detection method, using quenching, was adapted from authentic research for an instrumental analysis laboratory. In the experiment, students acquire fluorescence spectra of sensing molecules in the presence of mock sculpture samples and discuss the condition of the sculptures based on the levels of soluble iron detected. This real-world-based experiment allows students the chance to engage with ongoing research and further understand the challenges with early detection of corrosion. Most students successfully completed the experiment, wrote a …

Science In The Learning Gardens: A Study Of Motivation, Achievement, And Science Identity In Low-Income Middle Schools, Dilafruz Williams, Heather Anne Brule, Sybil Schantz Kelley, Ellen A. Skinner

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Science in the Learning Gardens (henceforth, SciLG) program was designed to address two well-documented, inter-related educational problems: under-representation in science of students from racial and ethnic minority groups and inadequacies of curriculum and pedagogy to address their cultural and motivational needs. Funded by the National Science Foundation, SciLG is a partnership between Portland Public Schools and Portland State University. The sixth- through eighth-grade SciLG curriculum aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and uses school gardens as the milieu for learning. This provides the context to investigate factors that support success of a diverse student population using the motivational …

The What And Why Of Whole Number Arithmetic: Foundational Ideas From History, Language And Societal Changes, Xu Hu Sun, Christine Chambris, Judy Sayers, Man Keung Siu, Jason Cooper, Jean-Luc Dorier, Sarah Inés González De Lora Sued, Eva Thanheiser, Nadia Azrou, Lynn Mcgarvey, Catherine Houdement, Lisser Rye Ejersbo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasing globalization encourages assumptions of universalism in teaching and learning, in which cultural and contextual factors are perceived as nonessential. However, our teaching and learning are unavoidably embedded in history, language and culture, from which we draw to organize our educational systems. Such factors can remain hidden but can also provide us with opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of constraints that are taken for granted. This chapter provides a meta-level analysis and synthesis of the what and why of whole number arithmetic (WNA). The summary provides background for the whole volume, which identifies the historical, cultural and linguistic foundations …

Evaluation Of The Influence Of Wording Changes And Course Type On Motivation Instrument Functioning In Chemistry, Regis Komperda, Kathryn N. Hosbein, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increased understanding of the importance of the affective domain in chemistry education research has led to the development and adaptation of instruments to measure chemistry-specific affective traits, including motivation. Many of these instruments are adapted from other fields by using the word ‘chemistry’ in place of other disciplines or more general ‘science’ wording. Psychometric evidence is then provided for the functioning of the new adapted instrument. When an instrument is adapted from general language to specific (e.g. replacing ‘science’ with ‘chemistry’), an opportunity exists to compare the functioning of the original instrument in the same context as the adapted instrument. …

A Motivational Account Of The Undergraduate Experience In Science: Brief Measures Of Students' Self-System Appraisals, Engagement In Coursework, And Identity As A Scientist, Emily Saxton, Cailin Currie, Ellen A. Skinner, Gwen Shusterman

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

As part of long-standing efforts to promote undergraduates’ success in science, researchers have investigated the instructional strategies and motivational factors that promote student learning and persistence in science coursework and majors. This study aimed to create a set of brief measures that educators and researchers can use as tools to examine the undergraduate motivational experience in science classes. To identify key motivational processes, we drew on self-determination theory (SDT), which holds that students have fundamental needs – to feel competent, related, and autonomous – that fuel their intrinsic motivation. When educational experiences meet these needs, students engage more energetically and …

Each To Their Own Cure: Faculty Who Teach Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Report Why You Too Should Teach A Cure, Erin E. Shortlidge, Gita Bangera, Sara Brownell

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) meet national recommendations for integrating research experiences into life science curricula. As such, CUREs have grown in popularity and many research studies have focused on student outcomes from CUREs. Institutional change literature highlights that understanding faculty is also key to new pedagogies succeeding. To begin to understand faculty perspectives on CUREs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 61 faculty who teach CUREs regarding why they teach CUREs, what the outcomes are, and how they would discuss a CURE with a colleague. Using grounded theory, participant responses were coded and categorized as tangible or intangible, related to …

Rolling Circle Mutagenesis Of Gst-Mcherry To Understand Mutation, Gene Expression, And Regulation, Jessica Cole, Amanda Ferguson, Verónica A. Segarra, Susan Walsh

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduates are often familiar with textbook examples of human mutations that affect coding regions and the subsequent disorders, but they may struggle with understanding the implications of mutations in the regulatory regions of genes. We have designed a laboratory sequence that will allow students to explore the effect random mutagenesis can have on protein function, expression, and ultimately phenotype. Students design and perform a safe and time-efficient random mutagenesis experiment using error-prone rolling circular amplification of a plasmid expressing the inducible fusion protein glutathione S-transferase (GST)-mCherry. Mutagenized and wild-type control plasmid DNA, respectively, are then purified and transformed into bacteria …

Increasing Student Cognitive Engagement In The Math Classroom Through Sustained Professional Development, Eva Thanheiser, Brenda Rosencrans, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Joshua B. Fagan, Layla Guyot

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We share the case of one teacher engaged in professional development (PD) designed to improve collective argumentation. We present an analysis of two lessons in her classroom, one before and one after her engagement with the professional development. Findings show that the classrooms differ across both teacher support for collective argumentation (requesting ideas and elaboration vs. requesting/acts and methods), and student contributions Oustifications vs. procedures and facts) .

Connecting Teachers’ Buy-Into Professional Development With Classroom Habits And Practices, Joshua B. Fagan, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser, Brenda Rosencrans, Layla Guyot, Jodi I. Fasteen

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

While professional development (PD) provides an opportunity for teachers to cultivate skills that are consistent with best practices in the field, it is their buy-into the PD that ultimately determines the effectiveness of the PD. We examined how teacher buy-in affected the classroom habits and practice of four elementary teachers who took part in a district wide PD. Using baseline and first-year implementation video recordings, in conjunction with frameworks for discourse analysis, cognitive demand, and tools built specifically to measure PD implementation, we found that varying combinations of teachers' beliefs served as a mitigating factor for PD implementation.

The Language Of Professional Development Leaders, Andrew Riffel, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leaders in professional development (PD) initiatives (such as facilitators, principals, coaches) hold a great deal of power in their language, carrying the ability to manage meaning and frame experiences. Rather than working from interview data, this report addresses a gap in leadership research by examining the words used by leaders in their on-the-job interactions. We present an initial framework for capturing leadership language qualities at the macro level (framing the PD’s purpose) and micro level (rhetorical crafting in terms of metaphor usage, pronoun choice, and other language selections). Our data come from a larger project evaluating the efficacy of a …

Teacher Noticing Of Justification: Attending To The Complexity Of Mathematical Content And Practice, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser, Jodi I. Fasteen, Julie Fredericks

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this report, we will consider in-service elementary school teachers' noticing of the mathematical practice: justification. This study is part of a larger project evaluating the efficacy of a three year professional development built around attending to student thinking and promoting mathematical habits of justifying, generalizing and making sense. Noticing just¢cation is a complex task requiring attention to both the (1) mathematical content and strategies and (2) the nature of the argument provided by a student. We have found that teachers' struggle to attend to both aspects simultaneously and offer a framework for considering teacher noticing of mathematical practices.

Measuring Fidelity Of Implementation In A Large-Scale Professional Development Efficacy Study, Kathleen Mary Melhuish, Eva Thanheiser, Brenda Rosencrans

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fidelity of implementation is the essential link between professional development (PD) experiences and changes in outcomes. Yet, as a field we have few measures available to directly look at implementation. In this poster, we present our preliminary work measuring teachers’ implementation of a research-based PD.

Next-Generation Scientists Get A Taste Of Their Future Careers, Patrick M. Edwards, Linda A. George, Matthew Mctammany

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Article provides an overview of the middle and high school poster session that took place during the 2014 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM) in Portland, Oregon. The poster session provided the students with opportunity to participate in the research process and prepare their posters.

Crystallographic Education In The 21st Century, Saulius Gražulis, Amy Alexis Sarjeant, Peter Moeck, Jennifer Stone-Sundberg, Trevor J. Snyder, Werner Kaminsky, Allen G. Oliver, Charlotte L. Stern, Louise N. Dawe, Denis A. Rychkov, Evgeniy A. Losev, Elena V. Boldyreva,, Joseph M. Tanski, Joel Bernstein, Wael M. Rabeh, Katherine A. Kantardjieff

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

There are many methods that can be used to incorporate concepts of crystallography into the learning experiences of students, whether they are in elementary school, at university or part of the public at large. It is not always critical that those who teach crystallography have immediate access to diffraction equipment to be able to introduce the concepts of symmetry, packing or molecular structure in an age- and audience-appropriate manner. Crystallography can be used as a tool for teaching general chemistry concepts as well as general research techniques without ever having a student determine a crystal structure. Thus, methods for younger …

Enhancing Freshman Engineering Instruction With In-Class Interaction Systems And E-Books, Branimir Pejcinovic, Phillip K. Wong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Electrical engineering students in our department take a year-long series of courses which introduces electrical engineering as a discipline and provides good grounding in engineering problem solving and programing. We have recently attempted to make the second course in the sequence more engaging by applying active learning techniques, including assigned reading and exercises prior to lectures, in-class exercises using a classroom interaction system, and programming exercises during lectures. Our results are mixed: while we think that students have learned more than if we had not used these techniques, we have not completely won over our students. While using an e-book …