Authentic Research Research Articles

The use of experimental designs to examine causality in authentic leadership: A scoping review

Abstract Authentic leadership studies are often criticised for the limited use of causally defined research designs. To advance scholarship is this area, this article presents a scoping review on the use of experimental designs to examine causality in authentic leadership. Eleven publications were identified, which presented 16 experiments that met the inclusion criteria. Generally, these experiments tested authentic leadership as an antecedent; were conducted online; used a one-factor design; involved large samples, typically of working adults or residents; involved a manipulation check; involved the use of written vignettes to manipulate levels of authentic leadership; included counterfactual conditions; culminated with outcomes pertaining to followers; and established the causal effects of authentic leadership on the outcome(s) of interest. These findings suggest the value of: written vignettes; multi-method approaches; and online experiments. They also highlight opportunities to advance authentic leadership research through the use of sequential experiments and immersive technologies.

Tesis de grado: las temáticas de investigación. Carreras de Psicopedagogía en universidades nacionales

This article presents a systematization and analysis of graduate theses carried out from 2010 to 2022 in four national public universities, where only one aspect of them was considered: the title of the thesis.We understand graduate theses as authentic research works, where students demonstrate methodological skills and knowledge about their discipline. At the same time, they reflect the cognitive interests of each academic unit, since they are developed within the framework of training and are directed by their teacher-researchers.In this sense, we believe that it is significant to explore this type of work since it can contribute to the research-psychopedagogy relationship, and install the dialogue between the different scientific productions. Likewise, its results may be useful for decision-making in curriculum changes and to promote the development of new topics of study in the discipline's research groups.

Education researchers as negotiators: Leveraging expertise across teachers and scientists to implement authentic data investigations in grade 7–12 classrooms

AbstractIncorporating authentic research skills and practices into K‐12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction is a challenging yet crucial approach for introducing students to authentic science inquiry. While recommendations for emphasizing data literacy and quantitative reasoning in science classroom contexts are well‐established, implementation remains challenging. Over the span of 4 years (2019–2023), a multi‐institution team of teachers, education researchers, and forest scientists established a partnership with the overarching goal of integrating authentic forest research and data into middle and high school classrooms. The education researchers played a critical role in facilitating effective scientist and teacher interactions while addressing classroom implementation challenges. Importantly, the effectiveness and mutual benefits of the research partnership were greatly influenced by specific practices implemented by the education research team, and the assumption of different collaborative roles by all stakeholders involved. In this study, we examine these roles, relationships, and interactions of all stakeholders in the partnership, with “stakeholder” referring to participating teachers, education researchers, and collaborating forest scientists.

Examining the Use of Polyphenols and Sugars for Authenticating Honey on the U.S. Market: A Comprehensive Review

The rise in honey production and imports into the United States necessitates the need for robust methods to authenticate honey origin and ensure consumer safety. This review addresses the scope of honey authentication, with a specific focus on the exploration of polyphenols and sugar markers to evaluate honeys in the U.S. In the absence of comprehensive federal standards for honey in the United States, challenges related to authenticity and adulteration persist. Examining the global landscape of honey authentication research, we observed a significant gap in the literature pertaining to U.S. honeys. While honeys from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia have been extensively studied, the decentralized nature of the U.S. honey market and the lack of comprehensive standards have limited the number of investigations conducted. This review consolidates the findings of global honey studies and emphasizes the need for further research studies on honey authenticity markers within the United States. We also explore previous studies on the U.S. that focused on identifying potential markers for honey authenticity. However, the inherent variability in polyphenol profiles and the lack of extensive studies of the sugar contents of honey on a global scale pose challenges to establishing universal markers. We conclude that by addressing these challenges, the field of research on polyphenols and sugars in honey can move toward more reliable and standardized methods. This advancement will enhance the use of polyphenols and other constituents like sugars as authenticity markers, ultimately benefiting both researchers and the honey industry in ensuring honey quality.

An undergraduate research experience in CRISPR-Cas9 mediated eukaryotic genome editing to teach fundamental biochemistry techniques.

CRISPR-Cas9 technology is an established, powerful tool for genome editing through the ability to target specific DNA sequences of interest for introduction of desired genetic modifications. CRISPR-Cas9 is utilized for a variety of purposes, ranging from a research molecular biology tool to treatment for human diseases. Due to its prominence across a variety of applications, it is critical that undergraduates in the life sciences are educated on CRISPR-Cas9 technology. To this end, we created an intensive eight-week long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) designed for students to understand CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and perform it in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Students enrolled in the CURE participate in 2, 3-h sessions a week and are engaged in the entire process of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, from preparation of genome editing reagents to characterization of mutant yeast strains. During the process, students master fundamental techniques in the life sciences, including sterile technique, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), primer design, sequencing requirements, and data analysis. The course is developed with flexibility in the schedule for repetition of techniques in the event of a failed experiment, providing an authentic research experience for the students. Additionally, we have developed the course to be easily modified for the editing of any yeast gene, offering the potential to expand the course in research-driven classroom or laboratory settings.

Pedagogy of Belonging: Cultivating wellbeing literacy in higher education

AbstractWellbeing literacy is the capability to set intentions and comprehend and compose wellbeing language. This is cultivated and embodied across contexts with the intention of maintaining or improving the wellbeing of oneself, others, or the world. In this paper, as co-authors we share the way we understand our wellbeing as educators in higher education, that is, through a Pedagogy of Belonging. Belonging is one of the domains to our wellbeing as academics and educators, as well as students in the studied higher education learning context. Pedagogy of Belonging helps us develop our wellbeing literacy individually and collectively. Through an authentic inquiry framed by hermeneutic phenomenology, we highlight four vignettes, showcasing what this looks like across different disciplines located in one school of an Australian university. In these vignettes, we look at what it means to engage with diverse areas of wellbeing that enhance our collective capacity to flourish. We have paused, listening deeply to our academic and wellbeing needs, addressing these together to develop a shared language that supports our wellbeing. We describe the valuing of meaning, curiosity associated with relationship building, multi-modal ways of being with each other, passion, and positive emotions that promote academic wellbeing capabilities that, in turn, support, develop, and sustain a wellbeing literacy. In demonstrating how a wellbeing literacy can be developed, maintained, and/or improved, we open new avenues of investigation that interrupt the dehumanising of higher education learning contexts.

How Do Age and Attitudes Affect the Quality of Data Collected by Young Citizen Scientists in an Ecological Research Project?

Citizen science is increasingly used to collect ecological data. Specifically, participation of school students in authentic research has been suggested as having a multitude of benefits from serving as data collection to providing science education. Nevertheless, the overall quality and quantity of data is concerning for ecologists who are using data for research. In the Helsinki Urban Rat Project, lower- and upper secondary school students (13-19-year-old) collect data on urban rat occurrence using track plates that record rat footprints. I measured the success of school-aged citizen scientists in collecting and submitting data, and I determined the accuracy of the data they submitted by comparing their results to the results from professional researchers. Furthermore, I used additional questionnaire to relate success and accuracy to student attributes, including age, attitudes about biology as a school subject, interest in the environment and disgust sensitivity toward rats. I learned that, in contrast to results from previous studies, age was not a significant variable but rather available support from a teacher and voluntary participation with rewards were associated with higher data quality. Additionally, attitudes played a part in observer quality: higher liking of biology as a school subject was associated with lower accuracy, whereas a higher interest in the environment was associated with higher accuracy. The young citizen scientists provided broadly accurate data, although false-positive observations were comparatively common. The results suggest that the quality and quantity of citizen-generated data are not straightforwardly dependent on the selected target groups. Citizen science activities should be planned by careful consideration of the context as, for example, the organization of the participation strongly shapes the participatory activities.

Authentic First Nations health research.

Authentic First Nations health research.

Exploring the influence of augmented reality on tourist word-of-mouth through the lens of museum tourism

ABSTRACT This study investigates how tourist presence influences word-of-mouth (WOM) and measures whether authenticity significantly mediates presence and WOM in the Augmented Reality (AR) museum tourism experience. The survey data was collected from the AR-presented Palace Museum in China. The study found that presence positively influences tourists’ WOM, and authenticity positively mediated tourist presence and WOM. The research tested authenticity as a mediator between presence and WOM, expanding the theoretical development of presence theory and authenticity research. Furthermore, the study expands knowledge of AR in museum destination marketing and management.

Dipping Your Toe in The CURE Pool: Longitudinal Tracking of Instructors Suggests Use of a Short-Duration CURE Can Catalyze Expansion to Longer CURE Experiences.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective method of engaging large numbers of students in authentic research but are associated with barriers to adoption. Short CURE modules may serve as a low-barrier entryway, but their effectiveness in promoting expansion has not been studied. The Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) project is a modular CURE designed to be a low-barrier gateway into CURE use. In a series of interviews, we track and characterize use of PARE in 19 PARE-interested instructors throughout the Innovation-Decision Process described by Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory. The majority (16/19) implement PARE at least once, and a majority of these implementers (11/16) expanded use by the final interview. Three of four cases of discontinuance were due to a disruption such as moving institutions or a change in course assignment and occurred for community college faculty. Expanders expressed fewer personal challenges than nonexpanders. Overall analysis shows that perception of barriers is nuanced and impacted by the innovation itself, the institutional context, and one's own experiences. These results suggest that a short duration, low barrier CURE can serve as a catalyst for implementation of a longer duration CURE.

The necessity of artificial intelligence in fintech for SupTech and RegTech supervisory in banks and financial organizations

In the rapidly evolving financial landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Supervisory Technology (SupTech) and Regulatory Technology (RegTech) has become increasingly vital. As banks and financial organizations grapple with the complexities of compliance, risk management, and regulatory oversight, AI offers transformative capabilities that enhance efficiency, accuracy, and resilience. This paper explores the critical need for AI in Fintech for SupTech and RegTech, focusing on its role in supervisory functions within the banking sector. A case study on AI-driven anti-money laundering systems is presented, along with a discussion of authentic laboratory research and survey results. The paper concludes by illustrating the potential impact of AI on financial supervision with graphs and data, underscoring its necessity in modern financial governance.

Using Design-Based Research to Develop the Learning Outcomes of a Curriculum-Based Environmental Citizen Science Project

The Intertidal Monitoring Project (IMP) is a local, curriculum-based citizen science project intentionally designed to support the development of science competencies in elementary students. The focus of the IMP is the Research Days, where students follow an established scientific protocol to collect monitoring data on an introduced species of clam in British Columbia, Canada. The IMP represents a unique program to study because the school district funds transportation and programming costs so that all grade five students can engage in authentic place-based scientific research. A design-based research (DBR) approach was used to develop and refine the IMP activities between 2014 and 2023. This research is focused on a DBR Evaluation/Reflection phase that qualitatively assessed learning outcomes during the beta testing of a supplementary classroom activity. Student- and teacher-generated data were collected to understand the process of a class “coming to know” science and its community of practice during the IMP activities. This included student learning artefacts and a teacher interview. The findings show that participation in IMP activities: i) fostered the development of science competencies in a grade five learning community; ii) did not promote science identities; and indicated that iii) the Nature of Science (NOS) required more explicit instruction. Student-teacher-scientist partnerships (STSPs) emerged as a critical design element of curriculum-based citizen science.

Developing and Gathering Validity Evidence for an Instrument to Measure How High School Students Identify as Researchers

AbstractThe authentic research experience, which provides students with meaningful collaborative research opportunities designed to promote discovery and innovation under the guidance of mentors, is increasing as a way to attract and engage students in STEM fields. However, despite the increase in authentic research experiences offered to students, there has been little research, particularly at the high school level, investigating students’ attitudes about themselves as researchers. To address this need, we developed a theory (or construct) for how high school age students self-identify as researchers and a companion survey to measure their identity. After three iterative development cycles, 823 high school students from diverse backgrounds were administered the 12-item survey, the Researcher Identity Survey—Form G (RISG). The partial credit Rasch model (1960/1980) was used to analyze the survey data. The results indicate that the survey identifies and locates high school age students as researchers validly and reliably along an easy to use and interpret scale. The survey holds promise as an important element for use in programs designed to broaden the entryway for students into the STEM disciplines.

Advanced biology students' individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE.

While undergraduate research has been shown to be a high-impact educational practice, it is logistically impossible for all undergraduate biology majors to have long-term faculty-mentored research experience. Therefore, biology educators and researchers must devise opportunities to engage more students in undergraduate research outside of working directly in their labs. Course-Based Research Experiences (CREs), structured as authentic research experiences, are one such opportunity. In this work, we describe the effects of a CRE with biomedical relevance on students' research skills, attitudes toward science, and perceptions of scientific research and scientific researchers. Results demonstrate that students gained experience in independent research skills including designing their own research project, being accountable for part of a project, and writing a research proposal. Students' perceptions of scientific research and researchers, assessed by the Draw-A-Researcher Task, did not show changes among the whole group, but individual analysis yielded meaningful results related to students' personal changes in how they perceived research and researchers, including their perception of themselves as researchers. This work demonstrates the substantial impact of CREs on upper-level biology undergraduate and graduate students.

Carbon-13-isotopomics and metabolomics of fatty acids from triacylglycerols: overcoming the limitations of GC-C-IRMS for short- and medium-acyl chains.

Carbon-13 isotopomics of triacylglycerol (TAG) fatty acids or free fatty acids in biological matrices holds considerable potential in food authentication, forensic investigations, metabolic studies, and medical research. However, challenges arise in the isotopic analysis of short- and medium-chain (C4 to C10) fatty acid methyl esters (SMCFAMEs) through gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). The high volatility of these esters results in losses during their preparation, leading to isotopic fractionation. Moreover, the methoxy group added to acyl chains requires the correction of δ13C values, thereby increasing the uncertainty of the final results. Analyzing free fatty acids (FFAs) addresses both issues encountered with SMCFAMEs. To achieve this objective, we have developed a new protocol enabling the isotopomics of individual fatty acids (FAs) by GC-C-IRMS. The same experiment also provides the FA profile, i.e., the relative percentage of each FA in the TAG hydrolysate or its concentration in the studied matrix. The method exhibited high precision, as evidenced by the repeatability and within-lab reproducibility of results when tested on TAGs from both animal and vegetal origins. Compared to the analysis of FAMEs by GC-C-IRMS, the current procedure also brings several improvements in alignment with the principles of green analytical chemistry and green sample preparation. Thus, we present a two-in-one method for 13C-isotopomic and metabolomic biomarker quantitation within quasi-universal TAG compounds, encompassing the short- and medium-acyl chains.

A Search for Suitable Water-Splitting Electrodes Using SEAL and Harpoon

The search for suitable electrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting extends across the periodic table. While III-V semiconductors exhibit superior light gathering properties, metal oxide semiconductors generally cost less and are more robust.The Solar Energy Activity Laboratory (SEAL) 1 and the Heterogeneous Anodes Rapidly Perused for Oxygen Overpotential Neutralization (HARPOON)2 are simple experiments that can quickly scan for suitable oxide semiconductors. The SEAL experiment measures photocurrent and the HARPOON experiment measures oxygen production efficiency.Electrodes made of oxides of Fe, Pd, In, Ni, Zn, Cd, Ga, and W were produced in our laboratory and evaluated using the SEAL and HARPOON experiments. The relative performance of these oxides and their mixtures were evaluated.REFERENCES J. R. McKone et al., “The Solar Army: A Case Study in Outreach Based on Solar Photoelectrochemistry, “ Rev. Adv. Sci. Eng. 3, 288 (2014).S. E. Shaner et al., “Discovering Inexpensive, Effective Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion: An Authentic Research Laboratory Experience,” J. Chem. Educ. 93, 650 (2016).

“The Nous Project”: A SEL program to promote emotional self-understanding in elementary school children

This article presents “The Nous Project,” a SEL program designed to promote and analyze the capacity for emotional self-understanding among children attending elementary schools in Italy. The project rests on the conceptual framework that authentic educational research should be not only explorative of a phenomenon but also transformative of a context and, to achieve this, it should introduce into schools new meaningful experiences and investigate them. The children involved in the project were invited to narrate the emotions they felt during the day in a “diary of emotional life” and analyze them with the help of the metaphor “vegetable garden of emotions.” These reflective exercises were qualitatively analyzed in order to understand what ways of emotional self-understanding emerge from the realized educative experience. At the end of the program, children were asked to write what they thought they had learned, and findings from the qualitative analysis of their answers highlight their perceptions about the effectiveness of the educative experience in which they were involved.

Characterization of the Structural Requirements for the NADase Activity of Bacterial Toll/IL-1R domains in a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience.

TLRs initiate innate immune signaling pathways via Toll/IL-1R (TIR) domains on their cytoplasmic tails. Various bacterial species also express TIR domain-containing proteins that contribute to bacterial evasion of the innate immune system. Bacterial TIR domains, along with the mammalian sterile α and TIR motif-containing protein 1 and TIRs from plants, also have been found to exhibit NADase activity. Initial X-ray crystallographic studies of the bacterial TIR from Acinetobacter baumannii provided insight into bacterial TIR structure but were unsuccessful in cocrystallization with the NAD+ ligand, leading to further questions about the TIR NAD binding site. In this study, we designed a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) involving 16-20 students per year to identify amino acids crucial for NADase activity of A. baumannii TIR domain protein and the TIR from Escherichia coli (TIR domain-containing protein C). Students used structural data to identify amino acids that they hypothesized would play a role in TIR NADase activity, and created plasmids to express mutated TIRs through site-directed mutagenesis. Mutant TIRs were expressed, purified, and tested for NADase activity. The results from these studies provide evidence for a conformational change upon NAD binding, as was predicted by recent cryogenic electron microscopy and hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry studies. Along with corroborating recent characterization of TIR NADases that could contribute to drug development for diseases associated with dysregulated TIR activity, this work also highlights the value of CURE-based projects for inclusion of a diverse group of students in authentic research experiences.

Innovate and empower: the malate dehydrogenase course-based undergraduate research experiences and community of practice.

College science programs exhibit high rates of student attrition, especially among Students of Color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Many of the reasons students choose to leave or feel pushed out of science can be mitigated through participation in faculty-mentored research. However, faculty resources are limited, and not every student has access to faculty mentoring due to systemic or structural barriers. By bringing authentic scientific research into the classroom context, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) expand the number of students who participate in research and provide benefits similar to faculty-mentored research. Instructors also benefit from teaching CUREs. Using a systematic review of 14 manuscripts concerning the Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) CUREs, we demonstrate that CUREs can be implemented flexibly, are authentic research experiences, generate new scientific discoveries, and improve student outcomes. Additionally, CURE communities offer substantial advantages to faculty wishing to implement CUREs.

Improving education for incarcerated children and young people: policy recommendations from three transnational projects in Europe

Purpose The purpose of this policy piece is to present headline evidence from the equivalent of a decade of research across three projects focused on improving the educational experiences of incarcerated or justice-involved children and young people across 14 countries. The projects demonstrated a positive impact when using the specially designed innovative methods even with disengaged justice-involved children and young people. Each project had a different focus based on the needs of the children and young people, including (re)engaging them with education and learning opportunities re-engaging young offenders with education and learning (RENYO), developing identified social and emotional competencies through sport active games 4 change (AG4C) and developing skills for when transitioning into communities (S4L). Design/methodology/approach Each of the three projects designed bespoke interventions and materials based on the focus of the project. Combined, these were piloted across a total of 14 countries with 548 children and young people, 225 educators and 21 youth justice settings (custodial and non-custodial). Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from educators, children and young people to better understand the effectiveness and limitations of the pedagogical approaches, the materials and experiences of the users. Findings The findings from across the three projects demonstrated that when custodial settings or youth justice settings have greater access to specifically designed tools and resources, with appropriate training to use them, it is possible to re-engage even the most disengaged children and young people with education and learning (RENYO). It was also possible to show a statistically significant increase in social and emotional competencies (social awareness, responsible decision-making, self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills) in participating country settings (AG4C) and to engage children and young people with a Skills4Life Curriculum in preparation for moving back into the community. Research limitations/implications Custodial and other youth justice settings vary widely in different jurisdictions with varying levels of resource. Whilst all programmes had success in implementation, this was to different degrees and extents in each of the country contexts. Much of this success will depend on the skills of educators and the willingness of the leadership. Practical implications The programmes and interventions in this policy piece can be used in a range of contexts and settings as shown by the wide range of sites they were piloted in. From a practical perspective, these programmes and interventions have been designed to fit into existing structures and timetables with custodial and youth justice settings, making them easily integrated into business as usual. Originality/value Planned and strategically delivered interventions by expert educators in a holistic way means there is real opportunity to better support justice involved children and young people to successful transitioning back into communities, thereby potentially reducing reoffending. This is done by (re)engaging them with education and learning on entry, using the authentic inquiry methodology, developing social and emotional competencies through the active games and sport programme, followed by a tailored Skils4Life Curriculum preparing them for transition back into communities.