Mentoring Partnerships in Science Education

• In Event: 63.085 - MTCC Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: 63.085-8 - Mentoring Partnerships for Professional Development and Socialization

Abstract

The authors use an action research (AR) approach in a collegiate studio physics class to investigate the power of partnerships via student/TA conferences as they relate to issues of establishing a student/mentor rapport, empowering students to reduce inequity and discover the truths of science, and the successes and barriers to hearing students’ voices. Students reluctantly voiced their opinions about the course, possibly due to the power structure of the classroom. A case study of one student’s relationship with a mentor is presented. Students in this studio physics section were more likely to interact directly with faculty or TAs during lecture, but less likely to do so during lab, than were students in a non-studio physics section.

Authors

• Andria C Schwortz, Quinsigamond Community College

• Andrea C. Burrows, University of Wyoming

• Sarah Kathryn Guffey, University of Wyoming