Colby Tofel-Grehl

Cognitive Task Analysis-Based Training: A Meta-Analysis of Studies

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is enjoying growing popularity in both research and practice as a foundational element of instructional design. However, there exists relatively little research exploring its value as a foundation for training through controlled studies. Furthermore, highly individualized approaches to conducting CTA do not permit broadly generalizable conclusions to be drawn from the findings of individual studies. Thus, examining the magnitude of observed effects across studies from various domains and CTA practitioners is essential for assessing replicable effects. This study reports the findings from a meta-analysis that examines the overall effectiveness of CTA across practitioners and settings in relation to other means for identifying and representing instructional content. Overall, the effect of CTA-based instruction is large (Hedges’s g = 0.871). However, effect sizes vary substantially by both CTA method used and training context. Though limited by a relatively small number of studies, the notable effect size indicates that the information elicited through CTA provides a strong basis for highly effective instruction.

STEM High School Communities: Common and Differing Features.

Using observations and interviews, the researchers explore the experiences and perspectives of students, teachers, and administrators at six specialized high schools with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as they pertain to the practices and structures affecting student outcomes. Four themes were found to be common across schools: a culture of intellectualism and inclusion, a valuation on research, the role of inquiry, and the importance of personal responsibility and independent learning for students. Nuanced differences were noted across sites, notably the difference in student-reported levels of stress; however, substantial differences in student experiences based on STEM school model type were not observed.

Time-to-Credit Gender Inequities of First-Year PhD Students in the Biological Sciences

A national sample of female PhD students logged significantly more hours conducting research than their male counterparts. However, males were 15% more likely to be listed as authors on journal articles per 100 hours of research time, reflecting inequality on an essential metric of scholarly productivity that directly impacts competitiveness for academic positions.

Sustaining Making in the Era of Accountability: STEM Integration Using E-Textiles Materials in a High School Physics Class

Maker-projects have often been implemented in K-12 schools to foster the emergence of identity, develop maker mindsets, fuel creation, and master STEM skills and content. This paper explores the ability of an electronic textiles, or e-textile, maker project to develop deeper science learning within a unit where computer science, technology, engineering, design, and physics intersect. Maker-project learning is often dedicated to bridging the areas that make up STEM, namely science, technology, engineering and mathematics. However, the content areas of science and mathematics are often less explored pillars within STEM while implementing maker-projects in a K-12 classroom. We look at how a unit on electricity in a high school physics classroom is taught using the programming of an Arduino microcontroller and electronic textile construction. In this way, the science in computer science is emphasized and understood from a physics perspective.

STEM High Schools Teachers' Belief Regarding STEM Student Giftedness.

Teachers’ beliefs about students influence many of the decisions they make in the classroom. While much work has been done exploring teachers’ beliefs as they relate to the nomination of students for gifted programs, little work has yet explored the ways in which teachers’ beliefs about student giftedness possibly affect instructional decisions. In this article, within the context of specialized STEM schools, the beliefs of teachers as related to their students’ giftedness and ability are explored. Findings indicated that teachers believe their students to be gifted regardless of designation. Teachers articulated beliefs around the type of learning opportunities gifted students need as well as the amount of work required to stimulate these students. Specifically, teachers stated that gifted students flourish under heavy workloads with intense amounts of independent and inquiry-based learning. Students were also queried to determine their own perceptions of these instructional practices on their learning and daily lives.

Impacts of Learning Standards and Testing on Gifted Learners in STEM Schools: A Multilevel Analytic Induction

This article shares findings from a multilevel analytic induction of administrators, teachers, and gifted students within specialized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools about their beliefs regarding the role of standards and standardized tests in the education of gifted learners. Sharing results from a cross-case analysis of six schools, we explore the ways in which student experiences of standards-based learning differ from the perceptions of their teachers and school administrators. We found that there is no consensus across administrators, teachers, and students regarding the impact that standards have in the educational process or on outcomes within specialized STEM schools, though all community members value and seek to create deep learning opportunities for students.

Phenomenography as a Foundation for Mixed Models Research

Phenomenography is a methodological paradigm, which emphasizes personal conceptions as a necessary construct to understand the relationship between the physical events that people experience and the personal meanings that they derive from those experiences. This perspective provides a useful framework for mixed methodology research, because its ontology provides both equal legitimacy to objective and subjective phenomena and an integrated paradigm within which one can jointly engage quantitative and qualitative methods. We examine several instances of mixed methods research from the literature that utilize a phenomenographic perspective and identify implications for further development of mixed research strategies.

Comparative analyses of discourse in specialized STEM school classes

ABSTRACT The authors detail the discourse patterns observed within mathematics and science classes at specialized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) high schools. Analyses reveal that teachers in mathematics classes tended to engage their students in authoritative discourse while teachers in science classes tended to engage students in dialogic discourse. The authors examined variations in the type of discourse in relationship to the discipline being taught, the educational level of the teacher, and course requirements were also explored.