Location
SCI 358A
Phone: 530-898-4599
sced@csuchico.edu
Office Hours
8a.m.–5p.m
Monday—Friday
Mailing Address
Department of Science Education
400 W. First St.
Chico, CA 95929-0535
2017 College Summer Research Institute
SCED Faculty Dr. Carolina Alvarado and Dr. Ben Van Dusen initiate the first annual Department of Science Education student summer research program.
Learning Assistant Summer Research
Xochith Herrera, Angelica De La Torre, and Daniel Caravez worked with Dr. Ben Van Dusen as undergraduate research assistants over the summer to examine a range of research questions including: 1) How do university teachers’ prior experiences teaching a course impact their effectiveness in the course? 2) How student performance and participation rates compare on low stakes assessments when administered online vs. on paper and pencil in class? 3) How does the presence of near peers impact equity in introductory physics courses? Their research led to each of the undergraduates presenting a poster and giving a talk at the American Association of Physics Teachers and Physics Education Research Conferences in Cincinnati, OH. The students also authored or co-authored four conference proceedings that are currently under peer review.
Daniel Caravez presenting at the American Association of Physics Teachers and Physics Education Research Conferences - Cincinnati, OH.
Angelica De La Torre presenting at the American Association of Physics Teachers and Physics Education Research Conferences - Cincinnati, OH.
Examining Results from Scientific Inquiry with Future Science Teachers
DichaPerez-Montalvo and Lidia Leal, both seniors in the BA in Natural Science program, worked with Dr. Carolina Alvarado over the course of 10-weeks in the summer to examine the outcomes from SCED 321 (Scientific Inquiry) exploring how scientific practices that the students engaged in during the semester reflected in the students' outcomes. They each worked with a different data set, applying different methods of qualitative analysis.
Dicha analyzed students' written responses to examine how the scientific argumentation fostered in class was translated to the conversation of diversity in the STEM field. Lidia performed video and audio analysis examining how the students, leading a 30-minute teaching demonstration, engaged with their peers’ ideas to create a responsive environment. Both students have been accepted to participate in a poster presentation at the 2017 SACNAS, the National Diversity in STEM Conference.
Dicha Perez-Montalvo and Lidia Leal conduct research at CSU, Chico.
Dicha Perez-Montalvo summarizes responses
Lidia Leal analyzes video and audio data