Exploring the affordances and constraints of a “judgment free” informal STEM space in supporting African American girls’ sisterhood and STEM identities

This study explored the ways in which a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) enrichment program that is free (or as free as possible) of microaggressions and social structural constraints might influence African American (AA) girls to become innovators and to identify themselves as scientists or engineers. There are many beneficial impacts informal STEM experiences can bring to minority youth, such as increasing their interests and sense of competencies in science and engineering. Concurrently, the troubling trend of AA females deemed incapable of succeeding in school science and taking higher-level science courses persists. This study takes up the notion of such “judgment” AA females may face while engaging in STEM and explores how a “judgment-free” (free of oppressive judgment) STEM space in an informal community club can affect AA females’ identity work and agency. The following research questions were used as a guide to investigate how AA girls engage in an “judgment-free” informal STEM enrichment program: 1. What does it mean to the AA girls to have an informal youth STEM space that is free (as free as possible) of microaggressions and social structure constraints?; 1a. How are the youth in an informal STEM program positioned?; 1b. What are the youth in an informal STEM program able to do (process and products that they would not be able to do in more regimental STEM formal space)?; and 2. How might a setting free (or as free as possible) of microaggressions and social structure constraints influence 10- to 14-year-old African American girls’ STEM identity/agency and sense of sisterhood? Drawing upon Black feminist thought and identity work, I explore how a “judgment-free” theoretical framework can or cannot influence AA girls’ STEM identity and agency. The methodology used in this study was a longitudinal ethnographic critical case study over the course of 4 years. Creswell (2013) stated that “ethnographies focus on developing a complex, complete description of the culture of a group, a culture sharing group” (p. 91). Through this methodology, the culture of the youth at a community club was described using observations and interviews. I believed ethnography was appropriate because my study focused on a specific group of students—AA females who were engaged in STEM. Using defining features of ethnography, I explored how AA girls identified themselves as scientists or engineers. My participants were AA girls who attended the community club and the STEM enrichment program, GEC, for a minimum of 2-4 years. The length of time the girls had participated in GEC was an important criterion, given I used longitudinal ethnography. The girls ranged from fourth to ninth grade. I chose AA girls who were interested in science because of the personal connection I have with them; being an AA female who is engaged in STEM, there were times when my science identity was negatively influenced by microaggressions and social structure constraints. Through the use of this “judgment-free” theoretical framework, I found that STEM identities of the AA girls who attended GEC were influenced by the sisterhood they shared, their positioning as STEM experts, and how they used their STEM knowledge to help their community. The girls’ case studies revealed how a space as free as possible of negative judgment influenced the girls’ STEM identities and agency. The girls’ involvement in this STEM enrichment program showed that when students are given the space to investigate STEM without feeling negatively judged, they become more engaged in content and better understand how STEM relates to their lives. The AA girls’ experiences in this study are an indication that a judgment-free space, which supports sisterhood, embraces community, and promotes open discourse can foster AA girls’ STEM-gendered identity and agency so that they can see themselves as scientists and engineers

Open and storage space preference of forty homemakers living in ranch type houses of approximately 1400 square feet in the Piedmont area of North Carolina

After living in a house, a family often finds that some spaces for living and for storage are inadequate while other spaces could be reduced. The purpose of this study was to determine how homemakers would reapportion the amount of living space and storage space provided for the different rooms in the house in which they live. House plans chosen for study ranged from 1,293.84 to 1,571.14 square feet. Excluding the space for walls, the floor space ranged from 1,118.57 to 1,322.82 square feet. Each plan had ten different rooms or areas

A design for demonstration equipment to be used in teaching lighting and adequate wiring for homes

Those who have become aware of the quantity and quality of light needed for seeing when performing the various activities in the home as well as for retaining the beauty and vitality of home decoration realize that lighting needs and lighting practices are in many instances separated by a wide gulf. This is well expressed in these statements made by people in the lighting industry: . . . Most of us . . . have used lighting merely to chase away darkness .... Recent surveys indicate that the average American home contains seventeen to eighteen lamp bulbs without a pattern to the lighting or, for that matter, much reason. Proper decoration and utility require sixty or more lamp bulbs and tubes skillfully organized and integrated in a living-decorating plan

Lattice dynamics in gallium using the "6-exp" potential with parameters determined by the "least squares" method

The equations of motion for the dumbbell molecules of gallium are derived using the harmonic approximation. The "6-exp" interaction potential energy function is used to derive analytic expressions for the interatomic coupling constants. The intermolecular coupling constants are then determined numerically. These are used to calculate the elements of the dynamical matrix. The dynamical matrix is solved for the normal mode frequencies. The "Least Squares" method is used with a computer program to select a set of "6-exp" parameters to best fit the frequencies measured by others. Since some imaginary frequencies occurred for all sets of parameters found, the model does not agree with experimental results. There are two possible reasons for this disagreement: (1) The "6-exp" interaction function may not be applicable to gallium or (2) it may be invalid to treat gallium as having a molecular structure

The effects of race on the principal's sources of power : a comparative study

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education that the doctrine of separate but equal schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. The Court also mandated that the states practicing this doctrine would have to formulate and execute plans to desegregate their schools with "all deliberate speed." The decision of the Court had divergent effects on the white and black citizens in southern and border states. In most white communities in the South, the decision was perceived as an infringement on state's rights. Many white citizens vowed to maintain separate "facilities for black and white students at any cost. Conversely, the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court was perceived by black Americans as the second Emancipation Proclamation. The level of expectations of black citizens throughout the United States was elevated by the Court's decision. To black Americans, declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional was a step in the direction of full participation in the mainstream of the American way of life

An audio-visual educational program adapted to the specific needs of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades of the High Point Junior High School

The increasing interest in the improvement of instruction in the public schools of North Carolina for the past few years focused attention on the audio-visual education program now being developed in this country. Many indictments have been hurled against the effectiveness of our instruction in language arts and other areas of the curriculum by business men, members of college faculties, and more recently by examiners of military candidates. They realize the necessity for knowing and using a wide variety of materials in securing the development of functional knowledge and understanding. As a result, teachers are realizing that audio-visual aids give to pupils insight, understanding and the ability to remember

A Genetic Screen For Wnt Signaling Factors That Regulate Drosophila Melanogaster Nociception

Nociception is the process by which sensory neurons in the periphery detect noxious stimuli and cause behavioral responses. The mechanisms behind the transduction of noxious sensory stimuli and the resulting behavior are still not fully known. In order to determine Wnt-signaling molecules’ roles in the regulation of nociceptor neuron function, we have compiled a list of candidate Wnt signaling genes based on literature and gene ontology. To ensure that RNAi knock down occurs specifically in nociceptor neurons, we will cross the RNAi transgenic fly lines with fly lines that carry the ppk-GAL4 transgene, a driver line that causes expression of UAS transgenes specifically in nociceptor neurons. We will test the larval progeny of these crosses with a well-established thermal nociception assay. We expect to find knocking down specific genes of interest will produce 1) hypersensitivity to noxious stimuli; 2) insensitivity to noxious stimuli; or 3) no change in responses to noxious stimuli. Once we have identified candidate genes that suggest the regulation of nociceptive function based on their behavioral responses, we can complete further analysis to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how these genes control nociceptor function

EFFECTS OF THE SOLVE STRATEGY ON THE MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF SECONDARY STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Students with learning disabilities are most typically characterized as struggling readers (i.e., 80-90% of students are identified on the basis of reading failure; LD OnLine, 2008 Lerner, 1989; Lyon, Fletcher, Shaywitz, Torgesen, Wood, et al., 2001); however, as many as 50% of students with learning disabilities have IEP goals in the area of mathematics suggesting that general curricula in mathematics present a relevant barrier to the success of this population (Geary, 1999). Given that expectations in the era of the Common Core State Standards promote higher achievement in mathematics, specifically Algebraic thinking (CCSS, 2012), secondary curriculum in the area of Algebra presents a hurdle for students with a specific learning disability to keep pace with peers and graduate on time. This study investigated the effects of the SOLVE Strategy on the mathematical problem solving skills of secondary students with disabilities. A multiple probe across participants design was employed to determine the impact of the independent variable (i.e., instruction in the SOLVE Strategy) on the primary dependent variables (i.e., strategy use, correct response). The intervention was implemented with six 8th grade students with specific learning disabilities. Results indicated a functional relation between SOLVE Strategy usage and improved problem solving performance for all six target students. Additionally, all participants were able to generalize the SOLVE Strategy to other mathematic topics and concepts, and the teacher and students felt the intervention was socially acceptable. Finally, limitations of the study, suggestions for future research, and implications for practice are provided

"After the professional development training: evidence of the data wise improvement process within teachers’ practices in an elementary urban school"

Within the profession of education, one essential resource that contributes toward enhancing an educator's growth is professional development. However, once an educator completes the training and returns to his or her assigned building, the question is whether the educator utilizes the information learned from the training. One such professional development training was conducted in 2009 within an urban school district to introduce a selected group of pilot elementary and secondary schools to the Data Wise Improvement Process. The purpose of this case study is to determine, through data collection, whether there is evidence that the Data Wise Improvement Process has been implemented after the professional development. Of the pilot schools that completed the initial training, one of the elementary schools was selected as the school to utilize within this research. The case study school is located within the university area of a large metropolitan city within North Carolina. The school has been one identified by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's ABC's of Public Education Growth and Performance Report as a School of Progress. Additionally the school was also recognized for achieving the ABC status of high growth based on the recent end-of-year state summative assessments. This case study school is also identified as a Professional Development School through its partnership with the local public university. The qualitative research method was utilized for this case study. This research method involved the use of data coding to organize and correlate the data. Data consisted of field notes derived from classroom observations and instructional planning sessions, open-ended interview questions, and instructional documents. Thirty-three certified staff members who participated in this study; from this group, 10 educators participated in the interview process. For this study, data were triangulated through the coding method used. This process enabled the organization and correlation of all data collected for the data. Three themes evolved from the analysis of data: the usage of data, progress monitoring, and teacher collaboration. These themes were associated with the evidence that was collected for determining the existence of the Data Wise Improvement Process within the school setting today

An investigation of psychological type and career maturity

The problem addressed by this research was to investigate Super's construct of career maturity, as defined by the Career Development Inventory, to determine if its development is limited to a certain psychological type, as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The Hotelling-Lawley Trace was the statistic employed to analyze the potential relationships between the scales of the Career Development Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It was determined that there were no statistically significant correlations between the scales of the two instruments. Results indicate that the concept of career maturity is more broadly defined than theory currently states. Career counselors should accept different psychological type preferences as effective processes for making credible career decisions. The results of this investigation suggest the need for a reconsideration of three basic tenets of Super's theoretical model of career development. The model should be reconsidered for the purpose of broadening the definition of acceptable processes of information gathering, decision making, and decision strategy in the course of career decision making