The Benefits of Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Disabilities - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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The Benefits of Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Disabilities

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Title: The Benefits of Research Experiences for Undergraduates with Disabilities


1
The Benefits of Research Experiences for
Undergraduates with Disabilities
  • Presentation to the Association of Science
    Teacher Education Northeast Regional Meeting
  • Amherst, Massachusetts
  • October 27, 2005

2
Purpose of the Study
  • To investigate the nature and quality of
    undergraduate research experiences for
    undergraduates with disabilities at three
    institutions of higher education in New England
  • To explore the contributions of these
    undergraduate research experiences to the
    personal and professional lives of the
    undergraduates

3
Background
  • Scientists play a vital role in the U.S.
    educational system, in industrial competition,
    and in the generation of new knowledge.
  • A challenge for our country is to attract the
    best talent from all sources to stimulate
    creativity, innovation, and change in order to
    advance science, technology, engineering, and
    mathematics (STEM).
  • Persons with disabilities are a smaller
    proportion of the science and engineering labor
    force than they are of the labor force in general
    (National Science Foundation, 2004).

4
Background
  • Participation in undergraduate research
    experiences has some positive benefits including
    interest in the discipline recruitment of
    students of color persistence career
    preparation networking improved research,
    laboratory, critical thinking, and communication
    skills self-confidence and involvement in
    learning (Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, Deantoni,
    2004).
  • No research studies have addressed the
    participation of students with disabilities in
    undergraduate research experiences.

5
EAST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
(SURF) Program
  • Funds may support summer research by students
    with disabilities or projects that will lead to
    improved access to STEM.
  • Students meet regularly with faculty research
    supervisors to review progress towards the
    research goals and objectives.

6
EAST SURF Program (continued)
  • Students submit a written report and present the
    results of their project in an oral or poster
    format at EASTs annual conference in early
    November.
  • Five students from three institutions of higher
    education in New England participated in summer
    2004.

7
Annie
  • Senior majoring in chemistry
  • Use of a Microwave Oven to Speed Drying the
    Sol-Gel Process
  • Has documented learning differences and Attention
    Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

8
Bonnie
  • Junior majoring in environmental engineering
  • Cleanup of Bedrock Contamination Using in situ
    Bioremediation Techniques
  • Has a hearing impairment

9
Charlie
  • Sophomore majoring in electrical and computer
    engineering
  • Accessible Introductory Computer Science
  • Does not have a disability worked on a team with
    another student who is blind

10
Drew
  • Senior majoring in computer science and
    psychology
  • Accessible Introductory Computer Science
  • Does not have a disability worked on a team with
    another student who is blind

11
Ethan
  • Sophomore will probably major in computer
    science
  • Accessible Introductory Computer Science
  • Has been blind since high school

12
Instruments, Data Collection, and Analysis
  • The students completed survey questionnaires and
    participated in interviews at the end of their
    research experiences.
  • Responses to the questionnaires were tabulated,
    and frequencies were calculated.
  • All interviews were recorded and transcribed.
  • Data from the interviews were descriptively
    summarized and coded according to themes and
    subthemes.

13
Preliminary Results and Discussion
  • The results were categorized and summarized into
    three broad themes challenges, mentoring, and
    career choices.

14
Challenges
  • The students did not view their disability as
    being problematic in the laboratory but rather as
    necessitating adjustments in their own approach
    to conducting research
  • It is very one-on-one and so I dont have a
    problem. With my hearing it is harder when there
    is a group of people, and I think someone without
    a hearing impairment might find the same thing to
    communicate. (Bonnie)

15
Challenges
  • The positive experience of overcoming the
    scientific challenges of the research was a
    prevalent theme
  • A lot of time in chemistry you cant explain it
    and you figure out what the pattern is and go
    from there. This is also something I have had to
    learn that you cant always have an answer and
    you need to say to yourself that I dont know
    what it is but let me figure out how it is
    related. (Annie)

16
Mentoring
  • The participants in this study viewed mentoring
    with some ambivalence. One student looked to the
    research supervisor as a mentor and considered
    her to be a source of motivation, facilitation,
    and encouragement
  • My mentor is probably one of the most feared
    people in the science department because she is
    tough. I dont have a doubt when whatever I
    decide to go on to, you know my mentor will
    have prepared me for it. She is also very
    athletic and I am athletic so we talk and bike
    and we talk about running. We have a good and fun
    relationship as well. (Annie)

17
Mentoring
  • Several students, while recognizing that the
    research supervisor provided critical guidance,
    did not view the supervisor as a mentor
  • I thought that he was going to be hard. Now,
    with this project he is a great mentor. He
    advises you, gives you special attention. His
    help was crucial. He had good leadership.
    (Charlie)

18
Mentoring
  • One student firmly resisted having a mentor. She
    preferred to rely on her own personal resources
  • I look up to my parents a lot. I try not to have
    a mentor and be my own person and maybe my name
    will be remembered in my high school. It sounds
    cheesy and corny. (Bonnie)

19
Career Choices
  • The EAST SURF program was pivotal in the future
    plans of the students and instilled a desire to
    continue on in their fields
  • I have always been an environmental engineer,
    but now I KNOW I want to be an environmental
    engineer! Now I am very familiar with the lab and
    familiar with the types of machines that are used
    and even just simple things as how to wash a vial
    and autoclave it. (Bonnie)

20
Career Choices
  • As a result of their summer research
    experiences, at least three of the SURFs planned
    to attend graduate school
  • I would like to ultimately get my PhD, but I can
    always get my masters in two years and decide
    what I want to do. The SURF has definitely
    opened up a great new door. (Annie)

21
Discussion
  • All the students reported that they would not
    have participated in the summer research
    experiences were it not for the funding that they
    received from EAST.
  • The findings of this study confirmed the results
    of other researchers in that the students were
    able to gain confidence and that the research
    experiences supported them in thinking and
    working as researchers.

22
Discussion (continued)
  • The SURF motivated the students to pursue
    advanced study in science and to consider careers
    in which they were unsure they could achieve.
  • The research experience may have allowed these
    students to create and be their own role models
    and realize that individuals with disabilities
    can be successful in STEM.

23
Questions for Further Research
  • What aspects of the SURF served as catalysts for
    connecting students with STEM pathways?
  • What activities of the SURF helped to sustain the
    students motivation and interest in STEM?

24
Questions for Further Research
  • In what critical ways did the research
    supervisors support the students so that they
    could be successful?
  • What was the impact of the SURF on the individual
    research supervisors?

25
References
  • Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004).
    Mixed methods research A research paradigm whose
    time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7),
    14-26.
  • Kardash, C. M. (2002). Undergraduate research
    experiences Male and female interns' perceptions
    of goals, gains, and disappointments. Las Vegas,
    NV University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
  • Lopatto, D. (2001). Short-term impact of the
    undergraduate research experience Results of the
    first summer survey 2001.

26
References
  • National Science Foundation. (2004). Women,
    minorities, and persons with disabilities in
    science and engineering 2004. Reston, VA
    National Science Foundation.
  • Seymour, E. (2001). Tracking the process of
    change in U.S. undergraduate education in
    science, mathematics, engineering, and
    technology. Science Education, 86, 79-105.
  • Seymour, E., Hunter, A., Laursen, S. L.,
    Deantoni, T. (2004). Establishing the benefits of
    research experiences for undergraduates in the
    sciences. First findings from a three-year study.
    Science Education, 88, 493-534.

27
References
  • Wang, H. A., Houang, R., Schmidt, W., Gould, C.,
    Pennypacker, C. (2004, April). Salient issues
    in the development and evaluation of the
    Web-based teacher training methods for the
    hands-on science universe curriculum. Paper
    presented at the annual conference of the
    American Educational Research Association, San
    Diego, CA.

28
Thank you!
Nancy Lightbody nancy_at_lightbody.org Eastern
Alliance in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (EAST) Voice (207)
688-4573, ext. 148 TTY (207) 688-4591
29
Eastern Alliance in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics
www.EASTalliance.org
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