arXiv subjects

Diana Sachmpazidi

Publications and source records attributed to Diana Sachmpazidi.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Student Perspectives on Traditional Pedagogy Used in Graduate Physics Coursework

Graduate programs in STEM disciplines are central to preparing future researchers and professors. Program requirements for students often include taking several graduate-level courses. Anecdotal evidence suggests that graduate coursework in physics in particular features outdated and ineffective pedagogical methods, with high emphasis on mathematical rigor in place of conceptual learning or connections made with authentic research. Prior physics education research indicates that students can leave graduate courses with shortcomings in conceptual understanding of covered topics. This pilot study is designed to document student perspectives on their graduate coursework in a single U.S. R1 physics Ph.D. program. A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with students enrolled in the program, and thematic analysis was conducted on five of these interviews for this paper. The resulting themes are discussed, including the prevalence of traditional passive lecture pedagogy and students placing high value on course content relevant to research.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Data-Driven by Design: Building a Reflective Physics Graduate Program

Well-documented research on physics graduate education has demonstrated long-standing issues that hinder equitable student access and participation. Addressing these challenges can be particularly difficult because they are often rooted in entrenched disciplinary and departmental cultures that tend to be rigid and resistant to change. In this work, we aim to cultivate a data-driven culture of cyclic self-reflection and action to proactively identify and address issues that affect student well-being and success in both a new physics and a long-standing astrophysics graduate program within a single institution. Drawing primarily on qualitative data (open-ended survey responses and focus-group interview data) from 15 students in both programs, we collaborated with the program leadership to identify actionable steps for improvement. In this paper, we present findings on student experiences across the two programs and discuss implications for research and practice. More broadly, this work provides a framework for graduate programs seeking to build a data-driven culture that improves student experiences.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

Psychometric Evaluation of the Culture around Systemic Change Survey: A tool for Assessing Departmental Culture in Physics

Physics programs are continually evolving to better support student learning and meet the diverse needs of their populations. Achieving many of these goals requires not only structural adjustments but also fundamental shifts in departmental culture. Recognizing this, disciplinary organizations in physics have placed systemic change and equity at the center of reform efforts, identifying them as essential pillars of meaningful and sustainable change. Yet tools for assessing departmental culture around educational change remain limited. In this study, we introduce the Culture around Systemic Change Survey (CSCS), a new instrument designed to measure faculty and staff perceptions of their department's "current" and "ideal" states. Using responses from the "current" scale only (N=111 participants across 33 departments), we conducted a psychometric evaluation of the CSCS. Exploratory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure, including Open-Mindedness (OM), Student Involvement (SI), Collective Interpretation of Evidence (CE), Sustainability (S), and Disruption of Systemic Injustices (DI). As survey development is an iterative process, future work will focus on refinement and confirmatory analysis. This work sets the foundation for conducting population studies that assess the state of progress of the physics community along an equitable and systemic culture to pursuing educational change.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2022

Network analysis approach to Likert-style surveys

Likert-style surveys are a widely used research instrument to assess respondents' preferences, beliefs, or experiences. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate how network analysis (NA) can be employed to model and evaluate the interconnectedness of items in Likert-style surveys. We explore the advantages of this approach by applying the methodology to the aspects of student experience scale datasets and compare the results to the principal component analysis. We successfully create a meaningful network based on survey item response similarity and use modular analysis of the network to identify larger themes built from the connections of particular aspects. The modular NA of the network of survey items identifies important themes that highlight differences in students' overall experiences. Our network analysis for Likert-style surveys methodology is widely applicable and provides a new way to investigate phenomena assessed by Likert-style surveys.

physics.ed-ph↗