Early Undergraduate Students Research Articles

Relevance of Science, Conceptualization of Scientists, and Contextualized "Failure" as Mediators in the Development of Student Science Identity.

The Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program is a Hawai'i place-based CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) for late high school and early undergraduate students wherein students conduct independent research that draws upon the history, culture, and ecosystem of their local communities. In addition to providing meaningful access to marine science education and training, REMS addresses a fear of failure expressed by students who view their culture and personal identity as incompatible with undergraduate science pathways. Data about student attitudes toward and conceptualizations of science and scientists were collected through pre- and postprogram open-ended survey items, Draw-a-Scientist Tests, and postprogram interviews. Results suggest the combination of place-based elements and an authentic research experience shifted students' conceptualization of scientists to a "humanized" construct. The emergence of this theme coincided with students recognizing themselves as scientists, gaining confidence in content understanding and research skills, increasing interest in science as a career pathway, and recognizing how science affects their communities. This study demonstrates how a CURE that emphasizes the cultural relevance of science, an inclusive conceptualization of a "scientist", and contextualized role of "failure" in science, may contribute to historically marginalized students recognizing themselves as scientists and ultimately persisting in science careers.

Developing Scientific Communication Skills Using Primary Literature in an Undergraduate Cell Biology Course.

Being able to communicate scientifically is an important skill for students graduating with a science degree. Skills used in future graduate school and careers for science majors include oral and written communication, as well as science literacy and being able to create figures to display information. There is a consensus that these skills should be taught throughout an undergraduate science curriculum; however, many instructors have cited insufficient time to cover skills and develop materials to effectively incorporate these skills, especially into lower-level content-focused courses. Here, we present an active curriculum that can easily be incorporated into any content-focused undergraduate Cell Biology course. The curriculum is designed around scientific literature that engages students in a multitude of active learning activities to develop different types of scientific communication skills. This curriculum not only develops student skills and self-efficacy in scientific communication, it also engages them in course content and stimulates their interest in research. While making changes to a course to include scientific communication can be difficult, making small changes, such as addition of this curriculum to an already-existing content-focused course, could make a big difference in the skills and attitudes of early undergraduate science students.

Nano, Bits, and Feynman’s Dream: There’s Plenty of Room at the (Molecular) Bottom

The activity presented here is about an approximate or order-of-magnitude approach to information technology on the nano level, dealing in particular with the genetic code. Based on “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, the famous and visionary paper by Richard Feynman, the activity provides insight into a core concept of nanoscience and technology (NST): “information” and the extremely high information density in human DNA as a natural example of a nanostructure. Specifically, students calculate several estimates from Feynman’s paper, using elementary knowledge about the chemical structure of DNA and basic mathematics. The activity is appropriate for upper high-school and early undergraduate students and nonmajor courses.

Job shadowing for early undergraduate dental students: Evaluation and validation of educational effectiveness using structural equation modelling.

This study aimed to evaluate and validate the educational effectiveness of a job shadowing class as a dental teaching programme for preclinical dental students through a questionnaire that assessed related student perceptions. A total of 124 preclinical (second year) dental students at Tokushima University participated in job shadowing placements from 2017 to 2019. Each student observed dental practice or surgery for 1 day in the university hospital. After shadowing, the students were requested to fill out a nine-item questionnaire based on a five-point scale. The first analysis was performed to calculate the correlation for each item. Furthermore, regression analysis for the categorical data was performed to show the relationship between eight questions (Items 1-8) and one question (Item 9: comprehensive evaluation). Next, factor analysis was performed to determine students' perceptions regarding the shadowing class. Ninety-eight students (response rate: 79%) completed the questionnaire. There was a strong relationship amongst Items 1, 8 and 9 ("interested in dentistry as a job," "learning motivation" and "comprehensive evaluation" respectively) based on the results of the correlation and regression analysis. The factor analysis led to three student perceptions as latent factors, namely, "Interesting," "Self-awareness" and "Future Goal," which had a relatively close inter-factor correlation (0.465-0.772). The finding suggests that job shadowing may increase a students' interest in a dentistry career at an early stage of their education and learning motivation, along with generating self-awareness. This programme may present possible educational effectiveness in dental education.

So where’s Momma? Selling coffee in the Ozarks

Theoretical basis Brands are socially constructed (Askegaard, 2006) and are culturally dependent on the “cultural codes of branding” by taking into consideration the history, images and myths that can influence brand meaning (Schroeder, 2009). Brands can be of great value when they hold a favorable image in the consumer’s mind (Anholt, 2010). Regional differences and demographics can impact what has a favorable image in the consumer’s mind and can bias the expectancy set for consumers. When selecting a brand name, the SMILE and SCRATCH test should be used (Neck et al., 2018; Watkins, 2014). This name evaluation test can be used to assess the strength of a brand name. If the name has these five qualities, it should be kept, or you should “smile”: suggestive – it evokes positivity; meaningful – customers can understand it; imagery – it is visually memorable; legs – it lends itself well to a theme to run with; and emotional – it resonates with your market. On the contrary, if the name has any of these traits, it should be “scratched”: spelling-challenged – it is hard to spell; copycat – it is too similar to competitors’ names; restrictive – it would be hard to grow or evolve with; annoying – it is annoying; tame – it is lame or uninspired; curse of knowledge – only insiders or some people will understand it; and hard-to-pronounce – it is hard to say (Neck et al., 2018; Watkins, 2014). The marketing mix or 4P’s of marketing – product, price, promotion and place – is a set of tools business owners can use to achieve their marketing goals and is based on McCarthy’s (1960) work. The S.A.V.E. framework – solution, access, value and education (Ettenson et al., 2013) – has more recently been cited as a more modern replacement to the long used 4P’s model (Ettenson et al., 2013). Through this framework, business owners can work to align their brand to provide a solution to customers’ problems, give them access to the solution, provide value for customers and educate them about the product or service. The S.A.V.E. framework focuses on solutions, access, value and education rather than product, place, price and promotion. In this framework, the business should focus on meeting their customers’ needs and being accessible to customers along their entire journey from hearing about the company to making a purchase. Additionally, companies should provide value for their customers rather than solely worrying about price, and instead educate customers by providing information they care about (Ettenson et al., 2013; Neck et al., 2018). Research methodology Teaching case. Case overview/synopsis This case presents the story of Big Momma’s, a coffee shop in a deteriorated historic district in Springfield, Missouri. Big Momma’s owner Lyle, a black man in a predominantly white region, was new to the area and launched the business quickly, without much market testing of the concept or brand. Soon after launching, Lyle wondered if he was set up for doom as customers constantly ask for Momma or barbeque. It seemed necessary to take a critical look at the marketing and branding plans. Complexity academic level This case could have multiple uses, primarily for early stage undergraduate students studying entrepreneurship or integrated marketing communications. The case lines up nicely with the following textbook lessons. Entrepreneurship: the case can be used with Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset (Neck et al., 2018), chapter 16, lesson on branding with a specific tie to the SMILE and SCRATCH test described in Table 16.1 and the S.A.V.E. framework described on pages 453–454. It can also be used with Entrepreneurship (Zacharakis et al., 2018), chapter 6, lesson on marketing strategy for entrepreneurs with a specific tie to the sections on marketing mix and value proposition described on pages 183–198. Integrated marketing communications: this case can be used with Advertising, Promotion, and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications (Shrimp and Andrews, 2013), chapter 3, lesson on brand naming. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Cognitive Development by Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Aim/Thesis: The aim of this research is to promote the use of the three concepts-- the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), the Gettier Problem, and Corpus Linguistics (Contextual Learning)--to increase the academic performance of early undergraduate engineering students.
 Concept/Methods: 30 Engineering students completed one untimed Mensa IQ Test of 10 questions and one Simon-Binet IQ Test of 50 random IQ questions with a 12 minute time limit. These 30 students were chosen from two different college sections: 15 students from each section. Before the second Simon-Binet Test, one group, G(a), was given ZPD scaffolding in three major topics — Working Memory, Fluid Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning —as they had answered questions based on these concepts incorrectly in their first Mensa IQ test. The second group, G(b), was not given the ZPD scaffolding. A statistical t-test that was later performed indicated that G(a), with scaffolding, outperformed G(b), without the scaffolding, in the second IQ test. 
 Results and conclusion: Using the t-test, it is seen that the hypothesis of this research that ZPD, Gettier Problem and Corpus Linguistics can enhance the performance of the students in a short time period is correct. After the first Mensa IQ test, the level of both the groups G(a) and G(b) of engineering students was almost the same, indicated by a very similar mean results. However, after supporting G(a) utilizing ZPD, Gettier Problem and Corpus Linguistics for their three problem areas - Working Memory, Fluid Reasoning and Spatial Reasoning - identified after their first IQ test where the students needed scaffolding, the performance of this group improved more in comparison to G(b), as indicated by the results of the second online Simon-Binet Test. 
 Research restrictions: It was not possible to provide all the random questions of the online Simon-Binet test given to all 30 students because the total number of questions would be 30*50=1500. Only the first ten questions of the Mensa IQ test are included in this research paper. Further, the third and fourth year engineering students are not included in this research as it is assumed that they have had already developed expertise and the effect of the investigated tools would not be clearly visible. 
 Practical application: ZPD scaffolding was applied to the students when the students’ major problem areas were identified as requiring contextual learning and support. The Gettier Problem-- an epistemological concept-- was also used to keep their mind open at all the times during the learning process and Linguistics Corpus gave the contextual support as ZPD proposes the social-contextual mode of learning.
 Originality/Cognitive value: The paper presents empirical research on engineering students demonstrating the practical utility of ZPD, Gettier Problem and Corpus Linguistics in the process of learning, potentially irrespective of any discipline.

Building a virtual summer research experience in cancer for high school and early undergraduate students: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique challenge for summer research programs in 2020, particularly for programs aimed at hands-on experience for younger trainees. The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center supports two pipeline programs, which traditionally immerse high school juniors, seniors, and early undergraduate students from underrepresented populations in science in hands-on projects in cancer biology labs. However, due to social distancing policies during the pandemic and reduction of research operations, these students were not physically allowed on campus. Thus, the authors set out to strategically pivot to a wholly virtual curriculum and evaluate the Virtual Summer Research Experience in Cancer outcomes.MethodsThe virtual program included four components: 1. a core science and professional development curriculum led by high school teachers and senior undergraduates; 2. faculty-delivered didactic sessions on cancer science; 3. mentored, virtual research projects with research faculty; and 4. online networking events to encourage vertical mentoring. Outcomes data were measured using a locally created 11-item Research Preparation Scale, daily electronic feedback, and weekly structured evaluation and feedback via Zoom.ResultsOutcome data suggested high self-reported satisfaction with the virtual program. Outcome data also revealed the importance of coordination between multiple entities for seamless program implementation. This includes the active recruitment and participation of high school teachers and further investment in information technology capabilities of institutions.ConclusionsFindings reveal a path to educate and train high school and early undergraduate students in cancer research when hands-on, in-person training is not feasible. Virtual research experiences are not only useful to engage students during public health crises but can provide an avenue for cancer centers to expand their cancer education footprints to remotely located schools and universities with limited resources to provide such experiences to their students.

Exploring the value of a BioBlitz as a biodiversity education tool in a post-secondary environment

Biodiversity education is widely considered a necessary component of protecting global biodiversity by helping to change harmful attitudes and actions. BioBlitz events, rapid surveys of all living things in a defined area over a set period, are becoming a widely used practice for biodiversity education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a campus BioBlitz as a place-based experiential learning experience for early undergraduate science students by having students work alongside naturalist experts to build skills in species observation and identification using the iNaturalist app. We surveyed students about their perceptions of the BioBlitz experience. Eighty two percent of students agreed that the BioBlitz provided valuable hands-on learning, they valued learning outside of a traditional classroom, and felt they learned new knowledge about species identification. Many students reported a heightened sense of environmental stewardship and a positive sense of place on campus. We conclude with a discussion of the benefits of a campus BioBlitz in overcoming many of the emerging challenges associated with outdoor field-based education. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1960953 .

“Quite ironic that even I became a natural scientist”: Students' imagined identity trajectories in the Figured World of Higher Education Biology

AbstractStudying biology entails negotiating knowledges, identities, and what paths, more or less well‐trodden, to follow. Knowledges, identities, and paths within the very practices of science are fundamentally gendered and it is, therefore, critical to recognize when exploring students' learning and participation in natural sciences. Even though students' numbers in undergraduate Higher Education Biology are female‐biased, it does not mean that gendered processes are absent. In this study, we focus on early undergraduate biology students' identity work at a Swedish university, analyzing 55 study motivation texts discursively. Embedded in a Figured Worlds framework, we explore how students imagined and authored themselves in(to) the Figured World of Higher Education Biology along two imagined identity trajectories, the Straight Biology Path and the Backpacking Biology Path. While the first and numerically dominant imagined trajectory entails typical stories of a scientific child striving toward a research career, the latter recognizes broad interests and biology competences to be collected in a backpack for transdisciplinary use. Students imagining the Backpacking Biology Path authored themselves in relation to and explicitly not as having a linear trajectory, which positions the Straight Biology Path as dominant and culturally recognized. Our findings reveal gendered myths about science practices present in Higher Education Biology, yet also contested through alternative imaginaries. We, thereby, show that it is crucial for Higher Biology and Science Education to be aware of how students imagine their trajectories and how they negotiate masculine norms of science to create spaces for diverse and alternative identity trajectories.

All possible paths: bringing quantum electrodynamics to classrooms

Quantum electrodynamics was described by Feynman as the ‘jewel of physics’ [1985 QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Alix G. Mautner Memorial Lectures) (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press)] because of its ability to precisely describe the interaction of light and matter. It embodies the key concepts of quantum physics and yet also describes classical optics. It is normally considered to be too advanced for use in schools. Here we show that through the use of novel learning tools called phasor wheels, it is possible to make quantum electrodynamics accessible to students from middle school and higher. Our graphical approach is based on the summation of all possible paths (formally known as Feynman path integrals). It uses graphical vector addition, and gives students a deep understanding of vectors. It offers insights into the quantum world in which observations represent quantum probability density, while correctly describing the laws of classical optics. The phasor wheel is a tactile tool that allows students to compute the probability of photons arriving at a point in space and to explore phenomena such as matter–wave interference, diffraction, and reflection without any distinction between quantum or classical. To make it accessible, we combine the phasor tool with real-life analogies, and videos of single quanta interference. Needing only elementary mathematics, the approach is suitable for middle/upper secondary schools as well early undergraduate students.

Team‐Based Ultrasound Objective Structured Practice Examination (OSPE) in the Anatomy Course

The clinical use of ultrasound has dramatically increased, necessitating early ultrasound education and the development of new tools in ultrasound training and assessment. The goal of this study was to devise a novel low-resource examination that tested the anatomical knowledge and technical skill of early undergraduate medical students in a gross anatomy course. The team-based ultrasound objective structured practice examination (OSPE) was created as a method for assessing practical ultrasound competencies, anatomical knowledge, and non-technical skills such as teamwork and professionalism. The examination utilized a rotation of students through four team roles as they scanned different areas of the body. This station-based examination required four models and four instructors, and tested ultrasound skills in the heart, abdominal vessels, abdominal organs, and neck regions. A Likert scale survey assessed student attitudes toward the examination. Survey data from participants (n=46) were examined along with OSPE examination grades (n=52). Mean and standard deviations were calculated for examination items and survey responses. Student grades were high in both technical (96.5%). and professional (96.5%) competencies with structure identification scoring the lowest (93.8%). There were no statistical differences between performances in each of the body regions being scanned. The survey showed that students deemed the examination to be fair and effective. In addition, students agreed that the examination motivated them to practice ultrasound. The team-based OSPE was found to be an efficient and student-favored method for evaluating integrated ultrasound competencies, anatomical knowledge, team-work, and professional attributes.

Seeded-Growth Experiment Demonstrating Size- and Shape-Dependence on Gold Nanoparticle–Light Interactions

Gold nanoparticles are exciting materials in nanotechnology and nanoscience research and are being applied across a wide range of fields including imaging, chemical sensing, energy storage, and cancer therapies. In this experiment, students will synthesize two sizes of gold nanospheres (~20 nm and ~100 nm) and will create gold nanostars utilizing a seed-mediated growth synthetic approach. Students will compare how each sample interacts differently with light (absorption and scattering) based on the nanoparticles' size and shape. This experiment is ideal for high-school and early undergraduate students since all reagents are non-toxic, affordable, and no special characterization equipment is required.

Facilitating Authentic Practice for Early Undergraduate Statistics Students

In current curricula, authentic statistical practice generally only occurs in capstone projects undertaken by advanced undergraduate and Master’s students. We argue that deferring practice is a mistake: undergraduate students should achieve experience via repeated practice from their first years onward, to achieve heightened levels of confidence and competence prior to graduation. However, statistical practice is not a “one size fits all” enterprise: for instance, elements of a capstone experience, such as extensive data preprocessing, may be out of place in earlier practice settings due to less-experienced students’ relative lack of coding skill. We describe a course we have implemented at Carnegie Mellon University, currently open to second-year students, that provides a circumscribed opportunity for statistical practice that limits coding breadth, uses fully curated data, treats statistical learning models as “gray boxes” to be understood qualitatively, and provides open-ended semester-long projects that students pursue outside of class. We show how pre- and post-course assessment tests and retrospective surveys indicate clear gains in the students’ knowledge of, and attitudes toward, statistical practice. Given its clear benefits, we feel that statistics and data science programs should offer a course like the one we describe to all undergraduate students pursuing statistics and data science degrees.

Early Undergraduate Emirati Female Students’ Beliefs about Learning Mathematics Using Technology

<p style="text-align:justify">Covid-19 has accelerated the speed of technocratic transformation in teaching and learning. Previous researches on whether technology enhances students’ motivation towards learning or burdens them with additional layer of anxiety in learning the nitty gritty of technology itself have mixed results. The purpose of this study was to explore early undergraduate students’ beliefs about learning mathematics with technology. These research participants were first-year female undergraduate students in a public university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study comprised of phase one with qualitative task-based interviews with four female first-year undergraduate students. Phase two included a quantitative belief survey with a sample of 62 students from the same institution. I constructed four major belief categories from the iterative process of interview data analysis– technology for computing and graphing, technology for speed and accuracy, technology for a short-cut but not for meaning, and affective aspects of beliefs. The quantitative survey result demonstrated that a majority of participants (about 75.8%) were found to be using some kinds of technological tools while learning mathematics. About 90% of them reported using a calculator while learning mathematics. A majority of participants (54.9%) believed that technology helps them in learning mathematics, and about 50% of them also believed that the use of technology improves their learning of mathematics.</p>

How addicted are newly admitted undergraduate medical students to smartphones?: a cross-sectional study from Chitwan medical college, Nepal

BackgroundIncreasing smartphone use among adolescents in todays’ world has made this handy device an indispensable electronic tool, however, it comes at a price of problematic overuse or addiction. We aim to investigate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among undergraduate medical students and explore its association with various demographic and personal factors.MethodsA pool of 250 undergraduate students completed a survey composed of socio-demographics information, smartphone-use related variables and 10-point Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version in February 2019.ResultsSmartphone addiction among medical students was estimated at around 36.8% with higher percentage of male smartphone addicts. Phubbing was reported by 37.6% participants with more than 60% reporting overuse. Statistically significant association was observed between smartphone addiction and gender and overuse. Self-acknowledgement of addiction was found to be the biggest predictor of smartphone addiction.ConclusionThis study provides preliminary insights into smartphone use, smartphone addiction and various factors predicting smartphone addiction among early undergraduate medical students from Nepal, which should be extended in future studies. Education policymakers and educators need to develop some strategies encouraging student’s smartphone utilization to enhance academic performance.

Bonsai pedagogy at the service of the coloniality of being and of musical knowledge. An autoethnographic perspective study

This paper discusses the musical epistemology concomitant with an ontology of music centred on music as an object, both foundations of the hegemonic musical theoretical/pedagogical model: the conservatory model. In particular, it is proposed to investigate the scope and limitations of some of the categories derived from the privileged object-text of this ontology: the score, and its incidence in the processes of musical significance in which early undergraduate students participate. In this direction, it is intended to show how these musical epistemology and ontology deal only with partial aspects of the musical experience, while at the same time making others invisible or subordinate. Finally, it tries to highlight other ontologies of music, such as action and participation. This research and discussion is based on the analysis of a classroom experience led by the author, with support in the ideas of pedagogy of potency, non-parametral didactics and Bonsai pedagogy by Estela Quintar and Hugo Zemelman and Coloniality of Power, Being and Knowledge proper to the decolonial perspective.

The Atomic Origin of the Reflection Law

It will be demonstrated how the reflection law may be derived on an atomic basis using the plane wave approximation together with Huygens’ principle. The model utilized is based on the electric dipole character of matter originating from its molecular constituents. This approach is not new but has, since it was first introduced by Ewald and Oseen in 1915, been applied and analyzed many times before. Here we develop the Ewald-Oseen model of reflection adapted for high school and early undergraduate students with a basic knowledge of microscopic material structure.

A cosmic Ray Muon Experiment: a Way to Teach Standard Model of Particles at Community Colleges

This experiment is an example of research for early undergraduate students and of its benefits and challenges as an accessible strategy for community colleges, in the spirit of the report on improving undergraduate STEM education from the US President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The goals of this project include measuring average low- energy muon flux, day/night flux difference, time dilation, energy spectra of electrons and muons in arbitrary units, muon decay curve, average lifetime of muons. From the lifetime data we calculate the weak coupling constant gw, electric charge e and the Higgs energy density.

Fieller, N.: Basics of Matrix Algebra for Statistics with R

Matrices are becoming more important than ever before in the big-data era of the modern multidimensional world.With advances in computing and statistical packages such as R, it has become easier to manipulate matrices and analyse data efficiently. The book begins with an introduction to R, including installation, functions and basic R commands and calculations. There follows a guide to basic matrix algebra in R with applications to statistics. It covers the major topics in matrix algebra including vectors, matrices, rank of matrices, determinants, inverses, eigenanalysis, matrix calculus and their key applications to statistics. The book also includes a chapter on advanced topics such as matrix decompositions, generalised inverses, and Hadamard and Kronecker products. Somewhat unfortunately, the book’s notation for matrix calculus is different from the notation advocated by Magnus and Neudecker (1999). The book also include tricks formanipulatingmatrices, plus derivation of key results with step-by-step cross-referenced explanations and demonstrations of the techniques in R using numerical examples. The chapter on key applications to statistics covers principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis and canonical correlation analysis, in addition to linear models. Some chapters have a summary of key results which is useful for easy reference. End of chapter exercises are also available with solutions provided at the end of the book. The book avoids advanced mathematics and is therefore a good beginner’s guide to understanding and manipulating matrices in R. It is suitable for early year undergraduate students and anyone looking for an introduction to matrix algebra in R in preparation for high-level or specialised studies in statistics. The book’s collection of

Undergraduate Students’ Understanding of Proof: Relationships Between Proof Conceptions, Beliefs, and Classroom Experiences with Learning Proof

This article presents the results from a study of 535 early undergraduate students at six universities that was designed to describe their views of the meaning of proof and how these views relate to their attitudes and beliefs towards proof and their classroom experiences with learning proof. Results show that early undergraduate students have difficulty with mathematical proof. In particular, the study showed that students’ proof choices were strongly influenced by surface characteristics of the tasks. However, a large number of students appear to appreciate and acknowledge the rigor and central role of deductive proof in mathematics despite the difficulties they may face in producing proofs. Further, the study showed a strong positive relationship between students’ beliefs about the role of proof and themselves as learners of proof, but weak relationship between proof ability and self-reported experiences with learning proof.