PERC 2020 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Future directions in PER: Reflecting critically on student success |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | For about four decades, physics education researchers have engaged in development of theories, pedagogies, and assessments to support physics learners to be successful. PER literature includes many conceptions of "success": gains on concept inventories, expert-like beliefs about physics, retention in physics education and career pathways, etc. However, these conceptions are often defined by researchers and informed by institutional priorities or federal mandates. Rarely is success defined by students themselves, especially students of color or others minoritized in the physical sciences. Physics learners begin conceptualizing success at a young age, and their ideas about what it means to be successful are informed by opportunities to make meaning of success in their K-12 education. In this session, speakers reveal how students "(re)imagine success" (Marsh, 2018) through students' own priorities, relationships, and ethics. In doing so, we envision a future in which students' values and voices play larger roles in research agendas. |
| Abstract Type: | Talk Symposium |
| Session Time: | Parallel Sessions Cluster II |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360-650-3153 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
L. Trenton S. Marsh, University of Central Florida; Brian Zamarripa Roman, University of Central Florida; Jacquelyn J. Chini, University of Central Florida; Chandra Turpen, University of Maryland; Fidel Amezcua, University of Maryland; and Gina Quan, San Jose State University. |
Symposium Specific Information | |
| Moderator: | Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer |
| Presentation 1 Title: | (Re)imagining Success Through Photovoice At a High-Achieving Urban Charter School |
| Presentation 1 Authors: | L. Trenton S. Marsh, University of Central Florida |
| Presentation 1 Abstract: | The talk highlights photovoice, a participatory method that gives power to creators of images to capture experiences that are central to their life. Black and Latinx students verbal considerations of success in the context of their urban charter school is included, as is a sample of students' visual data about what success is outside of their schooling context. The study reveals the school's "no-excuses" orientation to teaching and learning fosters an oppressive definition of success in the context of classrooms. However, photovoice reveals students are able to resist the limited view as four emergent findings reveal how students (re)imagine success. Lastly, implications about what educators and school communities may learn, if students were seen as active co-constructors in the design and implementation of their own education is discussed. |
| Presentation 2 Title: | Explicating the goal contents of Latinx female physics students |
| Presentation 2 Authors: | Brian Zamarripa Roman and Jacquelyn J. Chini, University of Central Florida |
| Presentation 2 Abstract: | Latinas in physics experience multiple marginalization due to the intersection of their ethnicity and gender, thus it is important for the physics community to focus support and help them achieve their success in physics. To begin supporting Latinas in achieving success it is crucial that the community has an understanding of the diversity of goals that contribute to their overall success in physics. With this qualitative study we used interviews to explore the goals expressed by 20 undergraduate and graduate students who identify as Latinas across the United States. Guided by Motivational Systems Theory, we present the goals participants had in common (e.g. resource provisions and social responsibilities) as well as the different goals they emphasized (e.g. emphasis on affective goals versus integrative social relationship goals). These goal contents provide a more nuanced level of detail to goal orientations held by Latinas in physics and serve as examples of the relevant goals that the physics community should support. |
| Presentation 3 Title: | Students' exploring and refining their equity ethic within the Access Network |
| Presentation 3 Authors: | Chandra Turpen and Fidel Amezcua, University of Maryland; Gina Quan, San Jose State University |
| Presentation 3 Abstract: | The Access Network is an organization that supports vibrant interactions among students and faculty who advocate for equity work in the physical sciences. This talk will use McGee and Bentley's framework of "equity ethic" (EE) to understand how Access student leaders adopt and refine a commitment to equity and social justice work within the physical sciences. In McGee and Bentley's study of STEM students of color, they define EE as students' sense of altruism and collectivism within and outside of their own communities. Through interviews with student leaders, we model how students' EEs are influenced by their participation in the Access Network. Student accounts illustrate that they are invested in improving equity within their disciplinary communities and see progress toward these goals as an important measure of success. Our findings highlight how students' EEs can be infused into their professional practice, thereby increasing students' sense of belonging. |
