Professional Interests

Current Research Interests:

I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Science Education at the University of Maryland. My research work spans a wide variety of topics in physics education and science/STEM teacher leadership, with a primary emphasis on teaching, learning, policy, and leadership at the secondary level. My experience in program management has resulted in my direct and tangential involvement in the following research:

Teaching and Learning: My core interest in disciplinary science teaching and learning falls into two categories, including (1) the integration of computational modeling in introductory high school physics courses and (2) the use of mobile augmented reality (AR) to visualize three-dimensional (3-D) magnetic fields. My first core interest is supported by a $1.35M grant funded by the National Science Foundation that I proposed, titled Computational Modeling in Physics First with Bootstrap. Over the past three years, I have worked with my colleagues to develop a robust program of integrated curricular resources and instructional approaches developed by the program participants. This program has been supported by a research plan to measure changes in teachers' self-efficacy as integrated physics teachers, as well as teachers' and students' conceptual understanding, attitudes, integrated problem-solving skills, and understanding of functions. Within the past two years, results have included the development of a theoretical framework for integrated computational modeling in physics, and significant increases in teachers' self-efficacy and understandings of functions. Currently, I am working to explore how teachers' mindsets at the start of the program influence long-term adoption of this innovative approach to physics. My specific research questions include the following:

  • How does science instruction that integrates computational modeling affect student performance and confidence in the application of computational modeling to solve problems of physics?
  • How does engaging Physics First teachers to incorporate computational modeling in their teaching practice impact their curriculum and instruction? This question includes one sub-set I am currently studying in-depth:
    • What are the indicators for a "bounded" versus "boundary-stretching" mentality with respect to the integration of computational modeling in physics?
    • How does disciplinary "boundedness" correlate with long-term implementation of computing in physics?

This core interest in computational modeling is supported by another NSF project, Mapping Fields in Augmented Reality with Personal Mobile Devices, to develop mobile software and explore how the resulting software supports students' conceptualizations of 3-D magnetic fields. While my work on this project is primarily focused on user experience, I do support some of the research directions.

Policy and Leadership: My core interest in policy and leadership is focused on science teachers' professional strategic leadership, including their development, impact, and the transitional choices they make to leave the classroom and/or return to the classroom following transformative experiences. This research work occurs in the context of the AAPT/AIP Physics Master Teacher Leader Policy Fellowship, an American Institute of Physics $100K venture partnership program that I co-designed and manage. Along with the other program leads, I explore how teachers' leadership self-efficacy and engagement in policy changes over time. My specific research questions include the following:

  • What changes do we see in science teachers' self-efficacy and engagement in policy leadership as a result of a professional development program in policy leadership?
  • What is the nature of the intervention that catalyzed these changes?

This work is supplemented with an un-funded research study on the transitional decisions made by 127 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows following an 11-36 month hiaitus from the classroom to serve as advocates for education on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies in Washington, DC. My specific research questions include the following:

  • How does participation in professional development around teacher leadership shape STEM teacher retention?
  • What major challenges do teachers experience after participating in professional development in teacher leadership?
  • How do those challenges contribute to their retention in the classroom?

Other: I currently serve on the AAPT/Temple NASA Space Science Education Consortium team. One of my small side projects currently includes the analysis of high school physics teachers' integration of Earth and space science topics into their physics teaching. This project also includes the development of curricular resources for high school and introductory college physics teaching, built off of existing evidence-based practices. Access to some preliminary materials can be found here.

Previous Research Interests: My other interests in educational research include the following topics. While I am not actively involved in research in these other areas, I maintain a high level of interest.