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9 Future Directions for Discipline-Based Education Research: Conclusions and Recommendations
Pages 186-204

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From page 186...
... , which combines the expertise of scientists and engineers with methods and theories that explain learning, helps to provide this understanding. The DBER enterprise already has generated insights into how students learn in a discipline and into effective instructional strategies that can prepare more students to address current and future societal challenges.
From page 187...
... However, because this study focused on education research in a select set of science and engineering disciplines -- physics, chemistry, engineering, biological sciences, the geosciences, and stronomy -- this a report uses the term DBER to refer only to these disciplines. The previous chapters have described the current status of DBER; synthesized peer-reviewed, empirical research on undergraduate teaching and learning in the sciences and engineering; and examined the extent to which this research currently influences undergraduate science and engineering instruction.
From page 188...
... Tenure and promotion committees may not take into account the time and energy necessary to become acculturated into a new field, which poses particular challenges for nontenured DBER faculty. In a different vein, institutions and disciplinary departments do not always recognize the distinction between education specialists whose primary focus is on teaching and DBER scholars who conduct research on teaching and learning.
From page 189...
... or why one instructional intervention is more effective than another. Conclusion 4: High-quality DBER combines expert knowledge of a science or engineering discipline, of learning and teaching in that disci pline, and of the science of learning and teaching more generally.
From page 190...
... Clearly articulating the distinction between discipline-based education research and the application of DBER findings -- and embracing the value of both -- is important for ensuring continued advancement of the research, promoting improvement in undergraduate education, and enhancing synergies between these efforts. SYNTHESIZING DISCIPLINE-BASED EDUCATION RESEARCH Conclusion 6: In all disciplines, undergraduate students have incorrect ideas and beliefs about fundamental concepts.
From page 191...
... Physics education research has shown that several types of instructional strategies can promote conceptual change, or help to align students' understandings with scientific explanations. These strategies, described in Chapter 4, include interactive lecture demonstrations, interventions that target specific erroneous beliefs or incorrect ideas, and introduction of linking concepts to bridge students' incorrect idea with the accepted scientific explanation.
From page 192...
... As discussed in Chapter 6, a considerable amount of DBER examines instruction that is based on established learning theories and principles. Consistent with research from cognitive science, educational psychology, and science education, DBER indicates that involving students actively in the learning process can enhance learning more effectively than traditional instructional methods, such as lecturing by a professor.
From page 193...
... to a receiver, which tabulates the classroom results and displays the information to the instructor. The most compelling evidence on their use shows that learning gains are associated only with applications that challenge students conceptually and incorporate socially mediated learning techniques, such as having students work and be assessed collaboratively.
From page 194...
... Second, because faculty members may draw on similar findings from DBER, cognitive science, educational psychology, science education, education, and/or the scholarship of teaching and learning to inform their practice, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of DBER from related research fields. Third, DBER and related research can influence teaching practices to varying degrees, from increased awareness of students' learning challenges to complete transformation of instructional approaches.
From page 195...
... Although the evidence from these efforts is still too limited to draw conclusions, altering the preparation and expectations of doctoral students for teaching in science and engineering potentially represents a more efficient way to influence future instructional practice than changing the teaching behavior of already active faculty. Conclusion 13: Efforts to translate DBER and related research into practice are more likely to succeed if they are (1)
From page 196...
... DBER fields that emerged later have benefited from the more established DBER fields by using specific findings and gaining guidance on how to build the field. Opportunities for interaction across DBER fields are increasing through journals and through meetings and conferences that bring DBER scholars together (see Chapter 2)
From page 197...
... Because advancing research and applying the findings of this research are important goals of DBER, it is important to strike a balance between journals that publish empirical research primarily to share findings among researchers and journals that publish research in formats accessible to those interested in applying the findings. Recognition from professional societies that DBER is a viable research field in the science discipline can be important for advancing research and for attracting scholars to the specialty.
From page 198...
... Recommendation 1: In their respective roles, science and engineering departments, professional societies, journal editors, funding agencies, and institutional leaders should clarify expectations for DBER faculty positions, emphasize high-quality DBER work, provide mentoring for new DBER scholars, and support venues for DBER scholars to share their research findings at meetings and in high-quality journals. Translating Discipline-Based Education Research into Practice The committee's recommendations for translating DBER findings into practice involve broader changes to higher education institutions and systems.
From page 199...
... It also is important to augment current understanding of which field activi ties generate different kinds of learning and which teaching meth ods are most effective for different audiences, settings, expected learning outcomes, or types of field experiences. DBER scholars also should explore K-12, graduate, and informal education, as appropriate.
From page 200...
... Existing DBER should be expanded to address a broader range of pedagogical techniques and learning progres sions that promote conceptual change by moving students toward scientifically normative conceptions; to identify a range of instruc tional approaches that might help students to use visualizations or solve problems; to describe which kinds of learning environments
From page 201...
... Although they are useful for identi fying a suite of previously articulated misunderstandings within a group, they have limitations. To probe student understanding more deeply, faculty and DBER scholars need additional tools for qualitative and quantitative analyses that are widely available and easy to use.
From page 202...
... DBER scholars have no shortage of discipline-specific problems and challenges to study, but cross cutting concepts (such as energy or systems) and structural or conceptual similarities that underlie discipline-specific problems (such as concepts in different disciplines that involve very small or very large scales of measurement, or deep time)
From page 203...
... Time and money are required to develop and refine measurement instruments and to conduct longitudinal studies; studies that generate sufficient statistical power to make inferences about different student populations; studies of teaching and learning across multiple courses, institutions, or disciplines; and interdisciplinary studies. The committee is confident that with sufficient support, these and the other types of studies on this research agenda have the most potential to build on existing DBER and related research in cognitive science, K-12 science education, psychology, and organizational transformation to generate further insights that can lead to significant improvements in undergraduate science and engineering instruction for all students.


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