• Open Access

Investigating introductory astronomy students’ perceived impacts from participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences

Michelle M. Wooten, Kim Coble, Andrew W. Puckett, and Travis Rector
Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 14, 010151 – Published 15 June 2018
An article within the collection: Astronomy Education Research

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] This study investigates students’ perceived impacts regarding their participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in astronomy. Each research experience adopted one or more projects from the Research Based Science Education for Undergraduates (RBSEU) curriculum, which teaches analysis of astronomical data coming from various national observatories. Participating students were enrolled in introductory astronomy courses at one of four universities using the curriculum. They were invited to respond to several instruments, including surveys (N=199), essays (N=94), and interviews (N=19). Each university implemented the curriculum differently with respect to content covered, length of instruction, and whether students’ research results were contributed to the astronomical community. We found that participation in all versions of the curriculum had the potential to significantly increase students’ perceived confidence participating in science. However, participation in experiences wherein results were contributed to the scientific community more often led to students’ nuanced perceptions of science processes, including increased understanding of the role of analysis and the utility of scientific communities and collaborations. We frame our study according to a pathway model under study by discipline-based education researchers of CUREs and explore our findings’ connections with psychological theories.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
1 More
  • Received 25 April 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010151

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Physics Education Research

Collections

This article appears in the following collection:

Astronomy Education Research

A special collection highlighting the current state of the field of physics education research as it relates to astronomy education research.

Authors & Affiliations

Michelle M. Wooten1,2,*, Kim Coble3, Andrew W. Puckett4, and Travis Rector1

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
  • 2Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology and Counseling, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
  • 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94132, USA
  • 4Earth and Space Sciences Department, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia 31907, USA

  • *mwootenastronomy@gmail.com

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 14, Iss. 1 — January - June 2018

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Physics Education Research

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×