Three North Carolina State College of Education students were recognized for their scholarly work at the 2024 Graduate Student Research Symposium held recently at North Carolina State University.
This year's Graduate Student Research Symposium featured poster presentations by more than 200 students from across North Carolina State University, and each university's award recipients were recognized for their research quality, poster presentation effectiveness, oral communication skills, creativity and Selected based on aesthetic appeal. of their posters.
College of Education doctoral students Amanda J.F. Hall, Tyler Harper Gump, and Devan McKenzie took first, second, and third place, respectively, in the education category.
To learn more about these students and their research, check out the articles below.
Amanda JF Hall
PhD in Learning and Teaching in STEM science education concentration
Advisor: Alumni Special Honorary Graduate Professor (Science Education) Park Seung Hye
Amanda JF Hall was diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of her doctoral journey and found herself struggling to work within traditional research methods. As a result, she has suffered from impostor syndrome throughout her doctoral studies. Journey.
So when I heard my name called as the winner of the education category at the 2024 Graduate Student Research Symposium, I was very surprised.
“It would be an understatement to say that I was really surprised when my name was called because I didn’t really compare myself to the great work of my colleagues,” Hall said. “Since winning, I have become more motivated to move forward with the final stages of my thesis research, and I was able to confidently schedule the defense date that I had been avoiding.”
Mr. Hall's award-winning presentation was entitled “Mentor teachers' perceptions of mentoring for reform-oriented science education before and after introducing the concept of pedagogical mentoring,” and how in modeling Based on three years of work with mentor teachers to learn why and what they teach. order. The research is part of a National Science Foundation-funded project led by Seung-hye Park, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Science Education.
As part of the project, Hall interviewed experienced mentors to gain insight into what they think is important in guiding in-service teachers who are learning to reform science teaching practices. The findings showed that mentors' perceptions were fundamentally related to the concept of educational mentoring. Educational mentoring is a mentorship construct that is similar in theory to reform-oriented science teaching practices.
Hall said the results of this study will help the project team design professional development tools that fit the concept of educational mentoring in practice.
“Personally, I have been influenced by both strong and weak leaders throughout my teaching career,” Hall said of her interest in the subject. “Mentorship is one of those things that we've probably all experienced but that hasn't been consistently defined or designed. I want to be an agent of change, especially to encourage in-service teachers to adopt reformed science education. We want to encourage people to do that, so we decided to start by finding and defining that support.”
Winning the award for her research brings Hall full circle in her journey through the College of Education, as she prepares to graduate in fall 2024.
As a 5th grade science teacher, she was able to take her students to the State Science and Engineering Fair held at the Talley Student Union in North Carolina. While there, she spoke with a doctoral graduate student. She earned her PhD in Learning and Teaching in STEM in her program, inviting her to attend her annual STEM Education Research Symposium and encouraging her to enroll in the program herself.
“My program is nothing without its people. My professors and instructors have laid a solid foundation for success in navigating the academic world and graciously provided advice and feedback to help us succeed.” Similarly, I was lucky to collaborate with many fellow graduate students in the program and gained more than just knowledge,'' she said. “I am confident that the professional and personal relationships I have developed throughout this program and the School of Education will last after I leave campus to embark on my academic career.”
tyler harper gump
PhD in Learning and Teaching in STEM science education concentration
Supervisor: Associate Professor of Science Education Cesar Delgado
As a classroom teacher, Tyler Harper Gump is fascinated by the idea of exploring ways to leverage technology to support and enrich student learning, leading efforts related to student-centered learning in his school. Did.
This passion inspired him to seek opportunities to explore how and when technology can support instruction in ways that address inequities in STEM education, and ultimately led him to pursue a Ph.D. I went on to university.
While in college, he collaborated with Associate Professor of Science Education Cesar Delgado to develop a virtual reality (VR) educational tool called “Scale Worlds” to help middle school students better understand scale, proportion, and quantity. I worked on it. His work related to this study recently earned him a second place award in the education category of the 2024 Graduate Student Research Symposium.
“Winning second place at the Graduate Research Symposium means that the effort and quality I put into my research project has been recognized. It motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation in my field. ,” Harper Gump said.
Harper-Gampp's presentation, titled “Exploring Middle School Students' Scale Perceptions During Virtual Reality-Assisted Science Instruction,” explored the effects of scale worlds on students' scale reasoning through use in a nine-day co-designed instructional unit. We measured the impact.
The study found that students who used the VR program as part of the unit had slightly higher accuracy in absolute and relative size estimation and better overall performance.
As she prepares to graduate this summer, Harper Gump feels ready to take the next step as a scholar and researcher thanks to the collaboration, challenge, and rigor she experienced during her time in the College of Education.
“The support and guidance provided by the faculty was invaluable in preparing me for my future career in academia. Their guidance helped me navigate the complexities of academia. “But I also gained practical skills and knowledge that will help me succeed in future positions,” he said.
devan mackenzie
PhD in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences educational equity concentration
Supervisor: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education samantha marshall
A focus on equity in education has always been important to Devan McKenzie. So when I was looking for a PhD program for him, I didn't get the opportunity to get a PhD. He attended North Carolina State College of Education with a bachelor's degree in teacher education and learning sciences with a focus on educational equity.
She is currently deepening her interest in the topic of equity through her research, which recently received a third place award at the 16th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium.
“It is an honor to have my work recognized and celebrated. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Samantha Marshall, for the recommendation and opportunity,” she said.
Mr. McKenzie's presentation was titled “This is the information students need to know: Mathematics teacher learning and sensemaking of culturally sustainable pedagogies in the midst of political conflict.” This study examines the discourses of affinity groups of mathematics teachers who collaborate for the purpose of achieving this goal.
This study found that teachers struggle to balance subject content and social justice, highlighting the importance of teacher affinity groups. In this case, the teacher affinity group provided an important learning opportunity for mathematics educators and provided mathematics educators with a space to navigate culturally sustained pedagogy while recognizing challenges. implementation.
“I have been teaching Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) with in-service teachers. [in the College of Education] “While ECI 305 and ECI 204 covered ECI 305 and ECI 204, I was interested in learning more about how in-service teachers learn and implement CSP once they enter the classroom.” MacKenzie talked about why he decided to research this topic.
