Female physics students gain from facilitating informal physics programs

Randolph, Jessi; Perry, Jonathan; Donaldson, Jonan Phillip; Rethman, Callie; Erukhimova, Tatiana

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.020123

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Each interview was semi-structured, conducted by a researcher unfamiliar with the interviewee, and consisted of a set of six didactic questions developed in collaboration with learning scientists. These questions probed interviewees on how they saw their experiences with facilitating informal physics programs relating to constructs such as physics identity, worldview, and goals [5].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research shows that students who were involved in facilitation of informal physics programs reported a positive development of their disciplinary identity and sense of belonging to the physics community [1,2]. These are important factors that could help retention efforts in physics, especially for underrepresented groups [3][4][5]. Other important student experiences with informal physics programs include teamwork opportunities and improvement of student communication, presentation, and design skills [2,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Broadening Student Learning through Informal Physics Programs

Garrett,

Erukhimova,

Perry

et al. 2023

2023 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Student learning at the university level occurs in a variety of settings, both formal and informal. Prior research shows that retention of knowledge is enhanced when students teach material related to their learning. In this study, we explored student perceptions of learning experienced through facilitation of informal physics programs, also called outreach, where they frequently practice methods of self-explanation to diverse audiences. To characterize the impacts of these facilitation experiences, we employed a student-centered investigation drawing on self-reported data gathered through didactic interviews conducted with 35 students who facilitated at least one of five informal physics programs. Analysis of interviews drew on multiple learning theories to characterize perceptions of understanding of physics concepts, confidence in their knowledge, and how those constructs related to engagement with members of the public through outreach. Using network analysis, we found three distinct clusters of themes focusing on disciplinary learning, internal development, and external engagement.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadening Student Learning through Informal Physics Programs

Garrett,

Erukhimova,

Perry

et al. 2023

2023 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We are working to understand the nature of the deep and meaningful experiences that students are having. Studies have looked at the impacts on university student volunteers and have found how some structures of informal physics programs support physics identity development, sense of belonging, and career-related skills [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Students have different career paths, some of which are education related, and their experiences from volunteering can impact the careers they pursue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a volunteerism framework to understand the motivations of university students who facilitate informal physics programs

Stanley,

Hinko

2023

2023 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many university students who participate in public engagement do so voluntarily through informal physics programs. The motivations and reasoning students have for volunteering in the first place and continuing to volunteer vary. For some students, volunteering in informal physics programs can influence their career path after leaving the program. For this research study, we interviewed university alumni about their past experiences as student volunteers and the career path they have had since leaving the program. We apply a volunteerism framework to our data to 1) see how it maps onto an informal physics context and 2) understand the evolution of volunteers' motivations from their initial informal physics volunteer experiences to their present lives. As this study is meant to test the volunteerism framework, we will focus on alumni who continued into education-related careers given that informal physics programs are educational in nature.

show abstract

Recent Developments in Physics Teacher Education in the USA: Toward a Broad Research Agenda

Vokos

2023

Challenges in Physics Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Female physics students gain from facilitating informal physics programs

Cited by 6 publications

References 60 publications

Broadening Student Learning through Informal Physics Programs

Broadening Student Learning through Informal Physics Programs

Using a volunteerism framework to understand the motivations of university students who facilitate informal physics programs

Recent Developments in Physics Teacher Education in the USA: Toward a Broad Research Agenda

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About