An official website of the United States government
Abstract This paper shares the experiences, engagement, and struggle of one young Indigenous Hawaiian woman as she grapples with her sense of disconnect with STEM while serving as a land protector on the Mauna Kea, the home of the Thirty Meter Telescope being built over the objection of the local Indigenous community. I examine her changing perspectives and connections to STEM through her engagement during a summer school enrichment class focused on science and technology learning in service of community goals. Findings indicate that her sense of agency and autonomy were greatly improved by engaging in a space where science and technology were tools serving her goals of protecting the Mauna Kea from further development.
more »
« less
What instruments do researchers use to evaluate LXD? A systematic review study
Abstract In contrast to traditional views of instructional design that are often focused on content development, researchers are increasingly exploring learning experience design (LXD) perspectives as a way to espouse a broader and more holistic view of learning. In addition to cognitive and affective perspectives, LXD includes perspectives on human–computer interaction that consist of usability and other interactions (ie—goal-directed user behavior). However, there is very little consensus about the quantitative instruments and surveys used by individuals to assess how learners interact with technology. This systematic review explored 627 usability studies in learning technology over the last decade in terms of the instruments (RQ1), domains (RQ2), and number of users (RQ3). Findings suggest that many usability studies rely on self-created instruments, which leads to questions about reliability and validity. Moreover, additional research suggests usability studies are largely focused within the medical and STEM domains, with very little focus on educators' perspectives (pre-service, in-service teachers). Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1918751
- PAR ID:
- 10561165
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Technology, Knowledge and Learning
- ISSN:
- 2211-1662
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
PurposeOur study’s purpose is to understand the possibilities and challenges of using 3D printed tactile maps to improve campus navigational services for blind and low-vision (BLV) students. Design/methodology/approachWe used a participatory design (PD) approach with co-design sessions, focus groups and interviews with students with disabilities and university accessibility service providers. In this study, we focus on findings from a focus group with expert accessibility service providers. FindingsKey contributions include insight into the navigational challenges and preferences of BLV students in a university environment. We further discuss the importance of collaboration between researchers and university accessibility service providers and the need to adopt accessible principles at an institutional level to support do-it-yourself (DIY) assistive technology approaches, increasing access in formal learning contexts. Research limitations/implicationsThe scope of our participant pool was limited, involving a small number of students from a single US institution. Also, the inaccessibility of the 3D design tools we had access to prevented our participants from engaging directly in the map design process. Practical implicationsOur work contributes to the accessibility and assistive technologies research communities by highlighting the challenges faced by BLV students when navigating their campus and by demonstrating the efficacy of PD practices in developing 3D-printed tactile maps that elevate their needs and open up possibilities for advocacy and multi-stakeholder conversation. Originality/valueOur study shows the perspectives of university accessibility service providers on the possibility of using DIY assistive technology, such as a 3D-printed tactile campus map, to facilitate accessibility services for BLV university students in the United States.more » « less
-
Abstract Hundreds of studies have explored student evolution acceptance because evolution is a core concept of biology that many undergraduate biology students struggle to accept. However, this construct of “evolution acceptance” has been defined and measured in various ways, which has led to inconsistencies across studies and difficulties in comparing results from different studies. Many studies and essays have offered evaluations and perspectives of evolution acceptance instruments, but publications with a focus on consensus building across research teams is still needed. Further, little attention has been paid to how evolution acceptance instruments may be interpreted differently by students with varied religious backgrounds. Funded by a Research Coordination Network in Undergraduate Biology Education grant from the National Science Foundation, we gathered 16 experts from different disciplinary and religious backgrounds to review current evolution acceptance instruments and create a guide to the strengths and weaknesses of these instruments, including appropriate contexts for using these instruments and their potential weaknesses with different religious populations. Finally, in an attempt to move the field forward, we articulated a consensus definition of evolution acceptance that can be used to guide future instrument development.more » « less
-
We are interested in how whiteness shaped one teacher’s abilities to engage his elemen- tary school students in culturally responsive pedagogy, especially his abilities to engage or avoid conversations about race-based inequities in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. We draw upon culturally responsive pedagogy, critical race theory, and critical whiteness studies to understand the role of whiteness in a single case study of integrated elementary science teaching leveraging electronic textiles technology. The case study reported here is part of a larger study investigating how technology inte- gration supports justice-centered science learning for elementary school teachers and their students in the Intermountain Region of the USA. The authors are white and Latino and all, but one, are former classroom teachers. Drawing on multiple data sources (field notes of classroom observations, interviews, transcripts of video-recorded classroom sessions), we developed a single descriptive case to illustrate shifts in teacher practice over time. We documented one white, male, fifth grade teacher’s engagements with his students around issues of race as manifested in conversations about immigration, migration, and forced relocation in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. This single case and the teacher perspectives it illustrates are resonant not only of our data but also the scholarly literature on white pre- and in-service teachers in the USA. We conclude with some practical recommendations for teacher professional development.more » « less
-
Abstract Although current science education reforms call for integration of engineering design into science teaching, many science teachers have no preparation in engineering. To address this problem, science teacher education programs have started preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) in engineering design integrated science (EDIS) teaching. However, little is known about the structure of interventions and tasks for learning that are being used to prepare PSTs in EDIS teaching. We systematically examined the extant research studies on preparing PSTs in EDIS teaching for variations in their structures and tasks for learning and outcomes using a framework highlighting key structural and task-related components for preparing PSTs to teach science using the engineering design process. We also sought to consider in what ways those findings can inform future teacher preparation and research. Results show that most interventions were integrated into science teaching method courses and in field experiences. The longer intervention durations appeared to lead to better outcomes. Most studies reported PSTs’ increased understanding of the engineering design process, EDIS instructional planning, and self-efficacy for teaching engineering. However, some tasks for learning, such as providing PSTs with tools to evaluate EDIS instruction and its influence on student learning, supporting PSTs in examining their beliefs about EDIS teaching, and providing PSTs with an understanding of how to teach engineering design in diverse classrooms, were understudied in the studies reviewed. The findings have implications for science teacher preparation, science and engineering teaching and learning, and future research.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09763-0
