PERC 2009 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Moving Beyond the Classroom: Socio-cultural Motivation for Expanding the Unit of Analysis |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Efforts to document the complex learning community established by the Center for High Energy Physics Research and Education Outreach (CHEPREO) initially focused on classroom based measures of Modeling Instruction. Classroom-based measures alone are insufficient to understand complex phenomena such as participation, retention, and persistence shown by our students. The underlying Vygotskian perspective on learning in Modeling Instruction motivated a shift in unit of analysis, moving beyond standard measurements of physics classes toward understanding the patterns of interactions and participation in learning communities. Changing the unit of analysis from the class to the learning community allows us to consider the roles of social and cultural influences on participation, persistence and retention. In this poster we re-frame the CHEPREO reform efforts through an ecological framework [Aubusson] and describe how this framing supports students especially given the cultural makeup of FIU's student body. |
| Abstract Type: | Targeted Poster |
| Targeted Session: | Broadening Our Lens: Socio-Cultural Perspectives in PER (Part II: communities & social interaction) |
| Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Eric Brewe Florida International University |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Laird Kramer,Vashti Sawtelle, Idaykis Rodriguez, George O'Brien Florida International University |
