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This research focuses on the experiences of physics and astronomy graduate women of color. We conducted semi-structured, empathetic interviews to understand their experiences in their undergraduate and graduate programs and how they navigate the physics departments at predominantly white institutions (PWI). The interviews serve as counter stories, which is a central tenet of critical race theory. We use this framework to examine how racial identities play a role in the obstacles faced by these women, including interactions with peers and faculty members. In this paper, we focus on the experiences of a Black woman in physics, Linda, to understand how her marginalized identities affected her experiences in physics during her undergraduate and graduate programs.

PERC SM 22

Investigating experiences of graduate women of color in physics &amp; astronomy

PERC 2022 is focused on "queering physics education" through an intersectional lens. By "queering," we are centering queer theory which breaks down social constructions and hierarchies to unpack normalized assumptions. In the context of physics education, we want to apply the theory to unpack who has power in physics to control the production of future physicists, how physics policies and practices are sometimes built on ideas of punishment and power, and how PER embeds binaries in both its content and sociological research. Further, we want to encourage a dialogue that is both a critique and an imagining of a queer future for PER.

Explicit attention will be given to constructions of race, (dis)ability, gender, sexuality and how they interact and impact lived experiences.

We have had such a fun time organizing this year’s PERC. You might be aware that we were committed to transparency and documenting our processes and decision making which we outlined here. This year has also been challenging to be a queer or otherwise marginalized person in the US. And we continue to seek and provide support for those individuals.

As such, we recommend that folks visiting Grand Rapids who have the means consider giving to some local organizations who are working to advocate for those impacted by historic and ongoing marginalization and violence.


PERC 2022 focused on "queering physics education" through an intersectional lens. By "queering," we centered queer theory which breaks down social constructions and hierarchies to unpack normalized assumptions. In the context of physics education, we apply the theory to unpack who has power in physics to control the production of future physicists, how physics policies and practices are sometimes built on ideas of punishment and power, and how PER embeds binaries in both its content and sociological research. Further, we wanted to encourage a dialogue that is both a critique and an imagining of a queer future for PER. Explicit attention was given to constructions of race, (dis)ability, gender, sexuality and how they interact and impact lived experiences.

Investigating experiences of graduate women of color in physics & astronomy

poster

Scientists are encouraged to engage in some form of ethical training. A common criticism of these training modules is that they are not effective. We formed a fellowship of fifteen scientists to investigate different modes of engagement with value-laden topics to see how scientists would engage in more ethically-driven discussions. These scientists met for a series of group sessions over the course of an academic year. We examined these discussions through the lens of epistemic frames, and characterize these frames through a number of characteristics including behaviors, verbal cues, and epistemic forms. We use these characteristics to identify the frames present in the fellowship, and what factors influenced changes in frames. Categorizing discussions with epistemic frames offers an opportunity for identifying what is driving more ethically-minded discussions, and this knowledge could then be used to better design ethical training modules.

Identifying Epistemic Games in Value-Laden Discussions

Covariational reasoning--considering how changes in one quantity affect another, related quantity--is a foundation of quantitative modeling in physics. Understanding quantitative models is a learning objective of introductory physics instruction at the college level. Prior work suggests that covariational reasoning in physics contexts differs from the reasoning about functions and graphs in purely mathematical contexts that students develop in math courses; this reasoning is effortful in physics even for mathematically well-prepared students. In order to improve physics students' covariational reasoning, we must first characterize covariational reasoning with physics quantities. To this end, we present a framework of covariational reasoning in physics contexts, to describe the ways that covariational reasoning is used in physics modeling. The framework can be used as a lens through which to analyze student reasoning, and can help inform instructional interventions. We describe an application of this framework in the development of a set of computer-based training assignments.

Characterizing covariational reasoning in physics modeling

Physics identity is an essential topic in Physics Education Research, PER. Historically this research has examined how physics identities form for primarily white, male undergraduate students in calculus-based physics classes at Tier I institutions. More recent research has begun to consider the experiences of marginalized populations, such as students of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Nepantla is a theoretical framework that explicitly explores how individuals navigate opposing identities and realities. Physics students from marginalized groups are navigating multiple, often conflicting identities. Therefore, this paper asks how applying the theoretical framework of Nepantla to PER contributes to the physics identity conversation by providing insight into how individuals in marginalized populations are able to navigate their multiple identities. This paper looks at how Nepantla has been used as a theoretical framework in other areas of STEM-Ed, then applies Nepantla to existing research within PER. The results suggest that the theoretical framework of Nepantla contributes to understanding how Nepantler@s both navigate the system and change the system.

Nepantla in Physics Education Research

Teachers use a variety of resources when reasoning quantitatively in science contexts. We identify patterns related to the resources high school STEM teachers use, both productive and unproductive, when reasoning quantitatively on an inventory designed to probe Physics Quantitative Literacy (PQL). Based on these patterns, we identify topics for professional development that can provide teachers an opportunity to refine their PQL so that they can support their students to develop productive quantitative reasoning resources.

Quantitative Literacy of High School STEM Teachers: Resources and Opportunities

Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) are an increasingly large set of higher education institutions in the United States. From 2010-2020 the number of HSIs increased from 311 to 569. Within the physics education research (PER) community, research perspectives from HSIs have provided critical insights into how to support racially and ethnically diverse students. Within the last decade, research from HSIs made up approximately 20% of publications from US higher education institutions in common PER journals. These publications do not always fully name and leverage their HSI context, though the work done at HSIs still more consistently centers students' identities as compared to research from non-HSIs. As our research community looks forward, elevating and appropriately valuing research at HSIs will be critical to build a more robust understanding of physics education in multiple institutional contexts.

Leveraging Hispanic-Serving Institutions within physics education research

Typically, physics education research addresses alternatives to transmission-based models of instruction. In light of critical pedagogy, I argue that the more relevant model to address is the banking model of education as identified by Paulo Freire, which subjects students to the colonialist consciousness and obedience to authority. In doing so, we can better identify root structural issues that plague the physics community. I argue that the Western conception of objectivity in science is motivated by the colonialist consciousness. The rigidity of what is considered science limits the identity of scientists to those of European descent, erasing the historical scientific knowledge of other peoples, such as the Indigenous peoples. I demonstrate a framework in which physics education is informed by critical pedagogy, as shaped by bell hooks and Sandy Grande, principled upon respect, reciprocity, and the human experience.

The Banking Model in Physics Education

Social network analysis is a broad field of analytical techniques used to explore relationships between network participants and to study the social structures that develop as a consequence of these relationships. This study uses social network analysis to track the growth of a network of STEM educators, students, and organizations over a four-year period. The network as a whole has seen significant growth in both the number of members as well as the number of connections per member. Further analysis of the network shows that the network growth is primarily fostered by new student connections, while the structure of faculty members and administrators in the network remains relatively constant. It was also found that students that were more connected within the network tended to have higher levels of persistence in their STEM degree.

Growth of West Virginia STEM Education Network

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) described in Ladson-Billings' (1995) framework has three conceptions: Conceptions of Self and Others, Conceptions of Knowledge, and Social Relations. When teachers are cognizant of all three, they can support students in productive and positive learning experiences. In 13 interviews of physics instructors about CRP, we found many instructors had productive conceptions of Self and Others as well as Social Relations. We found two instructors who exemplified a productive use of all three conceptions. In particular, their Conceptions of Knowledge focused on the knowledge of physics as being constructed and reconstructed - now and into the future. These two instructors also identified subjectivity in physics and articulated a critical approach towards examining the historical and contextual factors that influence physics learning today. Our findings indicate that recognition of subjectivity in physics can support instructors in effectively enacting the third conception, Conceptions of Knowledge for optimal use of CRP.

How Perceived Objectivity in Physics Impacts Cultural Relevance in Teaching

We investigated changes in calculus proficiency and calculus self-efficacy during introductory physics using separate assessments.  While all students demonstrated an increase in calculus proficiency, potentially also displaying an improvement in calculus transfer to physics, women displayed larger gains than men.  Conversely, men showed larger gains in calculus self-efficacy.  Taken together, these data suggest that student identity affects the correlation between a student's calculus abilities and their perception or self-evaluation of those abilities.

Inverse Correlation Between Calculus Proficiency and Calculus Self-Efficacy in Introductory Physics

Psychological threat, defined as a person's perception that the demands being experienced exceed that person's resources to meet those demands, can affect cognition and behavior, and may be associated with negative outcomes in certain motivated performance contexts. To understand how psychological threat may manifest in the context of introductory physics courses, we examine students' psychological threat across time and in relation to specific course-related activities and experiences.  Students in an introductory physics class were given surveys at four time points throughout the semester to measure their level of overall psychological threat, and perceptions about the relative demand posed by specific course experiences.  We report on students' perceptions of the demands of the course, their psychological threat level, and how these perceptions change throughout time. Our results can help inform efforts to identify teaching practices and interventions that may reduce psychological threat and improve student experience in introductory physics courses.

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Investigating experiences of graduate women of color in physics & astronomy

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