The implementation of California Assembly Bill (CAB) 705 has impacted how students enroll into Physics courses. This paralleled anecdotal evidence of a decline in student mathematical abilities. The goal of this research study was to determine the existence of a relationship between CAB 705 and student success in specific Physics courses. This…

Future college environments, including those in chemistry, will entail flexible formats. The pandemic spurred appreciation of the need, and though it has largely passed, adaptability to multiple formats in the future has been a critical part of planning for a rapidly changing future. Experiences during the pandemic will guide pedagogical changes…

This qualitative case study investigated the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by sixth-grade teachers in diverse educational settings within the Central Valley of California. The research focused on identifying the practical successes and ongoing challenges faced by educators in elementary and middle school…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) involve a process of collaboration, focus on student data and best instructional practices, and serve as a way for all students can receive an equitable education. Many schools implementing PLCs considered the term a noun, not a verb, leading to an inequitable education for high school students across…

As schools continue to focus on outcome-based instructional practices, less emphasis is placed on the creativity and reasoning necessary for students to become effective critical thinkers. As a result, students struggle to demonstrate creative problem-solving skills in the classroom. This study examines how the facilitation of an instructional…

With school populations across the country becoming increasingly representative of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, new considerations must be made to promote equitable and engaged science learning for all students (National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine [NAEEM], 2011).…

Contributions to conservation biology research are traditionally approached from an ecology and evolutionary biology perspective, but education research can be equally valuable. Population genetics research can inform management decision-making while education research can improve how we teach conservation. My dissertation tackles conservation…

The purpose of this quantitative pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect on student success rates in biology courses with laboratory components taken via distance education at a California community college. This study examined success rates for nine different courses, including 98 sections (2,299 students) taught only…

This case study focuses on the implementation and analysis of critical algorithmic literacy (CAL) lessons in two grade 3/4 combination classes. The study involves one elementary school teacher and 36 students from a K-6 school in Southern California. By analyzing various data sources, I identified trends that could be helpful for future…

The objective of this dissertation was to explore how the principles of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) can inform the design of a junior high school curriculum to enhance science learning by providing meaningful learning experiences to all students. The transformative paradigm provided a framework used as a lens to emphasize the importance…

The adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has brought with it a need for classroom assessments that measure students' ability to make sense of, explain, and use science, with many of the performance expectations asking students to apply scientific principles and evidence to produce an explanation. But creating coherent written…

This dissertation presents the results and outcomes of an effort to design educational tools and curriculum to improve student learning in introductory programming courses. The work was conducted at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), situated in the Central Valley of California, and home to a diverse student population. The findings…

The rational design of compounds to covalently label natural amino acids has become a popular method in both therapeutics design and chemical biology exploration. The field is saturated with rich chemistry for the targeting of nucleophilic amino acids, with chemical advances in recent years opening the door to the targeting of additional amino…

In 2013, California adopted the Next Generation Science Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve (CA NGSS), which set the stage for how science should be taught in every school throughout the state. Since the NGSS represent a change in how science instruction should be delivered, many teachers are now facing the…

Acknowledging the role that faculty play in student success is vital. As such, it is important to better understand how STEM faculty perceive and approach their work if we are to produce enough scientists and engineers to remain competitive as a nation. Faculty mindsets largely impact classroom experience - even over other factors like gender,…