arXiv subjects

Andria C. Schwortz

Publications and source records attributed to Andria C. Schwortz.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

How to Engage Active Pedagogy with Physics Faculty: Watch Out for Powerlessness

Despite the large body of research showing that students in STEM classes at all levels learn better via active learning than they do via lecture, post-secondary physics and astronomy (P&A) faculty members continue to primarily use teacher-focused, lecture pedagogy in their classes. Methods include answers from eight faculty members, and interviews with five faculty members who self-identified as primarily using lecture were conducted to determine their perceptions of why they use lecture. During analysis coding, results show that an unanticipated theme not sufficiently represented in the pre-existing literature rose to the forefront: that many of these faculty members feel the decision of pedagogy is out of their control. In conclusion, a grounded theory was developed and is proposed herein that these faculty feel a sense of powerlessness. Reasons offered include administrators often make decisions based on the financial needs of the school, which then force the faculty into using lecture as their primary pedagogy. Implications include that providing professional development in active pedagogies may not be sufficient to help faculty members change pedagogy, as they may need to be convinced that they have the power to make change and use student-centered, active learning pedagogies within their own individual constraints and settings. Understanding that some instructors may feel powerless in choosing how to teach is an important step for professional development providers toward ensuring that faculty have a voice and can choose the best teaching methods for their classrooms.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2020

Authentic Science Experiences with STEM Datasets: Post-secondary Results and Potential Gender Influences

Background: Dataset skills are used in STEM fields from healthcare work to astronomy research. Few fields explicitly teach students the skills to analyze datasets, and yet the increasing push for authentic science implies these skills should be taught. Purpose: The overarching motivation is to understand learning of dataset skills within an astronomy context. Specifically, when participants work with a 200-entry Google Sheets dataset of astronomical data about quasars, what are they learning, how are they learning it, and who is doing the learning? Sample: The authors studied a matched set of participants (n=87) consisting of 54 university undergraduate students (34 male, 18 female), and 33 science educators (16 male, 17 female). Design and methods: Participants explored a three-phase dataset activity and were given an eight-question multiple-choice pre/post-test covering skills of analyzing datasets and astronomy content, with questions spanning Bloom's Taxonomy. Pre/post-test scores were compared and a t-test performed for subsamples by population. Results: Participants exhibited learning of both dataset skills and astronomy content, indicating that dataset skills can be learned through this astronomy activity. Participants exhibited gains in both recall and synthesis questions, indicating learning is non-sequential. Female undergraduate students exhibited lower levels of learning than other populations. Conclusions: Implications of the study include a stronger dataset focus in post-secondary STEM education and among science educators, and the need for further investigation into how instructors can ameliorate the challenges faced by female undergraduate students.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2016

Mentoring Partnerships in Science Education

The authors use an action research (AR) approach in a collegiate studio physics class to investigate the power of partnerships via conferences as they relate to issues of establishing a student/mentor rapport, empowering students to reduce inequity, and the successes and barriers to hearing students' voices. The graduate teaching assistant (TA, Author 1) conducted one-on-one conferences with 29 students, elicited student opinions about the progress of the course, and talked with faculty, TAs, and an undergraduate supplemental instructor for other sections of the course. At the end of the semester, the students reported increased knowledge of the TA as a person and as an instructor, and vice versa. Sixty-five percent of students reported no interest in changing circumstances to make it easier to talk about personal concerns with the TA. College students reluctantly voiced their opinions about the course, possibly due to the power structure of the classroom. Other TAs in the department expressed mostly disinterest in the project, while faculty members were interested in student learning but skeptical of student empowerment. A case study of one student is presented, wherein his attendance improved in the course and he received additional help outside class, both possibly as a result of the student/TA conferences. Students in this studio physics section were more likely to interact directly with faculty or TAs during lectures, but less likely to do so during lab sessions, than were students in a non-studio physics section.

physics.ed-ph↗