arXiv subjects

Daniella Alexandra Crysti Vargas Saldana

Publications and source records attributed to Daniella Alexandra Crysti Vargas Saldana.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Curiosity Over Hype: Modeling Motivation Language to Understand Early Outcomes in a Selective Quantum Track

We study whether latent motivation signals in short Spanish admission responses predict engagement and performance in an early quantum computing pathway run by QuantumHub Peru. We analyze N=241 applicants' open responses and link them to outcomes from two selective modules: Module 1 (secondary; mathematics and computing foundations; n=23) and Module 2 (secondary + early undergraduate; quantum fundamentals; n=36, including M1 continuers). To ensure baseline comparability, the M2 university entrance exam matched the difficulty of the M1 final. Final grades followed the program's official cohort-specific weightings (attendance/assignments/exam), which we retain to preserve ecological validity. Methodologically, we model text with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA, k=8) and, for robustness, with sentence embeddings from a small multilingual language model, EmbeddingGemma-300M, projected via UMAP and clustered with HDBSCAN. This combination leverages the transparency of bag-of-words topics and the semantic richness of small language model embeddings. Descriptively, curiosity/learning topics show higher grades and attendance than technology/career-oriented topics; inferential tests are underpowered (e.g., linear R2 ~ 0.03; logistic pseudo-R2 ~ 0.04) so effect-size estimates should be viewed as preliminary rather than confirmatory. Embedding-based clustering yields seven clusters with 11.2% noise and modest agreement with LDA (ARI=0.068; NMI=0.163). Results suggest that brief motivation responses encode promising signals that could support early mentoring in rigorous STEM pipelines, while highlighting the need for larger, pre-registered studies.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Readiness in Latin American High Schools: Curriculum Compatibility and Enabling Conditions

The accelerating global development of quantum technologies strengthens the case for introducing quantum computing concepts before university. Yet in Latin America, there is no consolidated, region wide integration of quantum computing into secondary education, and the feasibility conditions for doing so remain largely unexamined. This paper proposes a qualitative, comparative framework to assess academic readiness for quantum education across six countries - Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia - grounded in the relationship between curriculum compatibility and enabling conditions spanning institutional capacity, teacher preparation, infrastructure, and equity. Using official curricula, policy documents, national statistics, and educational reports, we apply structured qualitative coding and a 1-5 ordinal scoring system to generate a cross country diagnosis. The findings reveal substantial regional asymmetries: among the six countries studied, Chile emerges as the most institutionally prepared for progressive quantum education integration, while the remaining countries exhibit varying combinations of curricular gaps and fragmented but promising enabling conditions. Building on this diagnosis, we propose a country sensitive, regionally coordinated roadmap for staged implementation, beginning with teacher development and pilot centers, leveraging open source platforms and local language resources, and scaling toward gradual curricular integration. This work establishes a baseline for future quantitative and mixed method studies evaluating learning outcomes, motivation, and scalable models for quantum education in Latin America.

physics.ed-ph↗