The presente eassy is the result of a qualitative research was done in order to review in the intercultural perspective the possibilities and challenges according to approach of the Teaching the Nature of Science at High School, in a Riversidade School, located in na island. In the State of Pará. For this purpose, it was sought through: a) To identify some assumptions that underlie or can substantiate the teaching of Natural Sciences, in the perspective of Intercultural Education; b) To analyze the teaching of Natural Sciences, Elementary and High School, proposed in the school, establishing relations with the official guidelines and the scientific productions that base the modality of Education of the Field and the teaching of Natural Sciences; c) To elaborate a didactic sequence based on the proposal of Thematic Research for the teaching of Natural Science, focusing on Teaching Chemistry in the perspective of Intercultural Education. We are based on the assumptions of intercultural education proposed by Walsh (2000) and in the Brazilian context by Fleuri (2003, 2012), approaching Freire's thematic research proposal (2004, 2005, 2006) for the elaboration of the didactic sequence. The research was carried out in a riverside school located in Ilha das Cinzas - the researcher's home - in the municipality of Gurupá, in the Marajó archipelago, State of Pará. The subjects of this research were: two male residents and one female resident of the community, the science teacher, the school coordinator and the high school students, 17 female students and 1 male student. Data were collected through documentary analysis, interviews, observations and elaboration of a didactic sequence. Moreover the interviews with the residents, pedagogical coordinator and the Sciences’ teacher and with the observations, we find this teaching - similar to teaching in the other areas of knowledge in this school - presents several challenges, accordingly with regard to teacher training, times and school spaces and specific didactic materials. With the observations and documental analysis in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, we identified that the proposal of the High School project, more forcefully, does not consider the characteristics and specificities of the population of the riverside community and distance itself from the proposal of the Curricular Guidelines of the Education of the Field. On the basis of this, in search of an education that takes into account the cultural aspects of the community, valuing its knowledge, encouraging this relationship between subjects, promoting the encounter, narrowing these relations, we elaborate a proposal for the Teaching of Natural Sciences / Chemistry, using the thematic research of Freire, starting from the re-reading of intercultural education, as a possibility that is closer to the demands of education in the reality of the riverside school, considering its possibilities and challenges. / A presente dissertação é fruto de uma pesquisa qualitativa descritiva do tipo estudo de caso que teve o objetivo analisar na perspectiva intercultural possibilidades e desafios para a proposição do ensino de Ciências da Natureza no Ensino Médio, em uma Escola Ribeirinha, localizada em uma ilha no estado do Pará. Para isto, buscou-se: a) Identificar alguns pressupostos que fundamentam ou possam fundamentar o ensino de Ciências da Natureza na perspectiva de educação Intercultural; b) Analisar o ensino de Ciências da Natureza, no Ensino Médio, proposto na escola, estabelecendo relações com as orientações oficiais e as produções científicas que fundamentam a modalidade de ensino Educação do Campo e o ensino de Ciências da Natureza; c) Elaborar uma sequência didática com base na proposição de Investigação Temática para o ensino de Ciências da Natureza, com foco no Ensino de Química na perspectiva de Educação Intercultural. Fundamentamo-nos em pressupostos da educação intercultural proposto por Walsh (2000) e no contexto brasileiro por Fleuri (2003; 2012), aproximando da proposta de investigação temática de Freire (2004; 2005; 2006) para a elaboração da sequência didática. A investigação foi realizada em uma escola ribeirinha localizada na Ilha das Cinzas – local de origem da pesquisadora - no município do Gurupá, pertencente ao arquipélago do Marajó, estado do Pará. Os sujeitos dessa pesquisa foram: dois moradores e uma moradora da comunidade, o professor de Ciências, a coordenadora da Escola e os estudantes do Ensino Médio, sendo 17 alunas e 1 aluno. Os dados foram coletados por meio da análise documental, entrevistas, observações e elaboração de uma sequência didática. Como resultado das entrevistas com os moradores, coordenadora pedagógica e o professor de Ciências e com as observações, constatamos que esse ensino – semelhante ao ensino nas demais áreas do conhecimento nessa escola – apresenta diversos desafios, principalmente no que se refere à formação de professores, tempos e espaços escolares e materiais didáticos específicos. Com as observações e análise documental no Ensino de Ciências da Natureza, identificamos que a proposta do projeto do Ensino Médio, de forma mais contundente, não considera as características e especificidades da população da comunidade ribeirinha e se distância da proposta das Diretrizes Curriculares da Educação do Campo. Com base nisso, em busca de um ensino que leve em consideração os aspectos culturais da comunidade, valorizando seus saberes, incentivando essa relação entre sujeitos, promovendo o encontro, estreitando essas relações, elaboramos uma proposta para o Ensino de Ciências da Natureza/Química, utilizando a investigação temática de Freire, a partir da releitura na perspectiva da educação intercultural, como possibilidade que mais se aproxima das demandas pela educação na realidade da escola ribeirinha, considerando suas possibilidades e desafios. / São Cristóvão, SE

The presence of students with disabilities in regular teaching classrooms is becoming a reality every day, and such a condition is inherent in a society that wants to be more egalitarian and democratic. Education has traced ways for the inclusion of students with some type of disability in schools, so as not to segregate them from the others and prepare them for their action in society, starting from legislation that seeks to ensure Inclusive Education in public and private school institutions. It is based on the assumption that scientific knowledge plays an important role in building people's autonomy and that, at any moment, the teacher may encounter a student with a disability in the classroom. In view of this situation, the discussions presented in this dissertation originate from a research that aims to analyze the conceptions of a group of teachers of Basic Chemistry about the challenges faced and the didactic strategies used to attend students with disabilities. Through a case study, we sought to investigate the pedagogical (dis) preparation of teachers of chemistry to work with students with disabilities, mainly in relation to their training and public policies of school inclusion, as a guiding base in the work of teachers with these students. It is considered essential to understand how teachers feel about classroom work with such students, because this is still a poorly researched aspect of inclusive education. The data were obtained in two steps. The first one involved the application of questionnaires while the second one used the focal group technique. The focus group was developed with six chemistry teachers from public and private schools in the state of Sergipe. The work with the focus group made it possible to broaden the expression of the research subjects through their participation in the discussions and reflections focused on their needs regarding the diversity in the classroom. The data obtained were submitted to the Discursive Textual Analysis presented by Moraes and Galiazzi (2011). The data obtained express how much teachers feel insecure and helpless before the disabled student. They show outrage at public policies, which seek to ensure access for students with disabilities to regular education, but do not guarantee conditions for them to work properly with these students. From this perspective, teachers declare that inclusive education is only apparent, since there is a lack of material and human resources for such work. However, it is noticeable that such indignation does not materialize in actions that require, both inside and outside the school. Their statements express a paralysis in the face of the inconsistency they perceive in the implementation of an inclusive education. This highlights ask for investment in the training of teachers to elaborate their view on inclusive education, in parallel to a policy that invest more in material conditions and support that favor the improvement of their pedagogical actions. / A presença de alunos com deficiência nas salas de aula do ensino regular torna-se a cada dia uma realidade mais marcante, sendo tal condição inerente a uma sociedade que se pretende mais igualitária e democrática. A educação tem trilhado caminhos para a inclusão de alunos com algum tipo de deficiência nas escolas, de modo a não os segregar dos demais e prepará-los para sua atuação em sociedade, partindo de uma legislação que busca assegurar a Educação Inclusiva nas instituições escolares públicas e privadas. Parte-se do pressuposto de que o conhecimento científico tem papel importante na construção da autonomia das pessoas e que, desta forma, a qualquer momento o professor pode se deparar com aluno com deficiência em sala de aula. Diante dessa situação, as discussões apresentadas nessa dissertação originam-se de uma pesquisa que teve por objetivo analisar as concepções de um grupo de professores de Química da Educação Básica acerca dos desafios enfrentados e das estratégias didáticas utilizadas para atender os alunos com deficiência. Através de um estudo de caso, buscou-se investigar o (des)preparo pedagógico dos professores de Química para o trabalho com alunos com deficiência, principalmente no que se refere a sua formação e às políticas públicas de inclusão escolar, como base orientadora no trabalho dos docentes com estes discentes. Considera-se essencial entender como os professores se sentem em relação ao trabalho em sala de aula com tais alunos, tendo-se em vista que esta é, ainda, uma vertente pouco “pesquisada” do tema Educação Inclusiva. Os dados foram obtidos em duas etapas: a primeira envolveu a aplicação de questionários e, a segunda, a técnica de grupo focal, a qual foi desenvolvida com seis professores de Química de escolas da rede estadual e particular da região centro-sul do estado de Sergipe. O trabalho com o grupo focal possibilitou ampliar a expressão dos sujeitos da pesquisa por meio de sua participação nas discussões e reflexões voltadas para as suas necessidades frente à diversidade da sala de aula. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos à Análise Textual Discursiva, apresentada por Moraes e Galiazzi (2011), a qual se desenvolve por meio de três principais etapas: unitarização, categorização e elaboração de metatexto. Os dados obtidos expressam o quanto os professores se sentem inseguros e desamparados diante do aluno com deficiência. Eles mostram indignação diante das políticas públicas, as quais buscam garantir o acesso de alunos com deficiência ao ensino regular, mas não garantem condições para que trabalhem adequadamente com tais alunos. Nessa perspectiva, declaram que a educação inclusiva é apenas aparente, pois faltam recursos materiais e humanos para tal trabalho. Entretanto, é perceptível que tal indignação não se materializa em ações que requeiram, tanto dentro quanto fora da escola, as condições organizacionais que proclamam. Seus depoimentos expressam uma paralisação diante da incoerência que percebem na implementação de uma educação inclusiva, levando em conta alunos com deficiência. Isso ressalta a necessidade de investimento na formação dos professores para que (re)elaborem seu olhar sobre a educação inclusiva, em paralelo à uma política que invista mais em condições materiais e apoio que favoreçam a melhoria de suas ações pedagógicas.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-09-28T11:32:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 viniciusdasilvacarvalho.pdf: 5576805 bytes, checksum: a8650866883ad86296123cb38cf68ca8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-09-28T14:13:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 viniciusdasilvacarvalho.pdf: 5576805 bytes, checksum: a8650866883ad86296123cb38cf68ca8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-28T14:13:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 viniciusdasilvacarvalho.pdf: 5576805 bytes, checksum: a8650866883ad86296123cb38cf68ca8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-11 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Atualmente, observamos uma crescente preocupação por parte de educadores e pesquisadores da educação química voltada para aspectos da inclusão. Diante desse público, destacamos o surdo, usuário da Língua de Sinais Brasileira (Libras), que requer atenção por parte dos profissionais envolvidos no processo da educação científica que atente para as especificidades linguísticas. Essa acessibilidade está diretamente ligada à construção de termos químicos para a Libras, ainda escassos nos dicionários oficiais. Nessa perspectiva, buscou-se nessa pesquisa investigar a construção de sinais do campo da ciência, referentes ao conteúdo de matéria e energia. A emersão de sinais a partir da Libras, foi estimulada por recursos visuais, com dois grupos de surdos, docentes de Libras, da cidade de Juiz de Fora. Em sequência, os sinais científicos criados foram trabalhados com alunos surdos da educação pública básica, por meio de um material didático de química adaptado para realidade educacional. Para verificar a aprendizagem dos alunos surdos, utilizou-se a dinâmica do Roleplaying Game (RPG), no qual é possível observar a apropriação dos sinais científicos de ocorrência natural com uso da Libras. Nesse sentido, ao entrelaçar o uso de material didático acessível com os sinais para termos químicos, foi possível acompanhar a apropriação dos sinais criados pelos alunos, bem como os meios que levaram sua modificação durante os eventos de comunicação. Entendemos na postura de educadores da área de uma ciência inclusiva a surdos, que é possível aliar estratégias metodológicas de ensino estimuladas por recursos visuais e que não se deve subestimar o fato da ausência de sinais para termos específicos de química em Libras. Acreditamos que o docente ao subestimar esse fato, poderá estar suscetível a oferecer um ensino de química defasado, ausente de possibilidades para que o surdo discuta ativamente os aspectos sociais para questões científicas. / Currently, there is a growing concern on the part of educators and researchers of chemical education focused on aspects of inclusion. In front of this audience, we highlight the deaf, user of the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), which requires attention from the professionals involved in the process of scientific education that attends to the linguistic specificities. This accessibility is directly linked to the construction of chemical terms for the Libras, still scarce in the official dictionaries. From this perspective, this research sought to investigate the construction of signals from the field of science, referring to the content of matter and energy. The emergence of signs from the Libras, was stimulated by visual resources, with two groups of deaf, teachers of Libras, from the city of Juiz de Fora. In sequence, the scientific signals created were worked with deaf students of basic public education, through a didactic material of chemistry adapted to educational reality. In order to verify the deaf students' learning, the dynamics of the Roleplaying Game (RPG) were used, in which it is possible to observe the appropriation of scientific signs of natural occurrence with the use of Libras. In this sense, by interweaving the use of accessible didactic material with the signs for chemical terms, it was possible to follow the appropriation of the signs created by the students, as well as the means that led to their modification during the communication events. We understand the attitude of educators in the area of an inclusive science to the deaf, that it is possible to combine methodological strategies of teaching stimulated by visual resources and that the fact of the absence of signs for specific terms of chemistry in Pounds should not be underestimated. We believe that the teacher, by underestimating this fact, may be susceptible to offer a lagged chemistry teaching, lacking in possibilities for the deaf to actively discuss social aspects for scientific questions.

<p>Assessment of student learning is ubiquitous in higher education chemistry courses because it is the mechanism by which instructors can assign grades, alter teaching practice, and help their students to succeed. One type of assessment that is popular in general chemistry courses, yet difficult to create effectively, is the multiple-choice assessment. Despite its popularity, little is known about the extent that multiple-choice general chemistry exams adhere to accepted design practices or the processes that general chemistry instructors engage in while creating these assessments. Further understanding of multiple-choice assessment quality and the design practices of general chemistry instructors could inform efforts to improve the quality of multiple-choice assessment practice in the future. This work attempted to characterize multiple-choice assessment practices in undergraduate general chemistry classrooms by, 1) conducting a phenomenographic study of general chemistry instructor’s assessment practices and 2) designing an instrument that can detect violations of item writing guidelines in multiple-choice chemistry exams. </p> <p>The phenomenographic study of general chemistry instructors’ assessment practices included 13 instructors from the United States who participated in a three-phase interview. They were asked to describe how they create multiple-choice assessments, to evaluate six multiple-choice exam items, and to create two multiple-choice exam items using a think-aloud protocol. It was found that the participating instructors considered many appropriate assessment design practices yet did not utilize, or were not familiar with, all the appropriate assessment design practices available to them. </p> <p>Additionally, an instrument was developed that can be used to detect violations of item writing guidelines in multiple-choice exams. The instrument, known as the Item Writing Flaws Evaluation Instrument (IWFEI) was shown to be reliable between users of the instrument. Once developed, the IWFEI was used to analyze 1,019 general chemistry exam items. This instrument provides a tool for researchers to use to study item writing guideline adherence, as well as, a tool for instructors to use to evaluate their own multiple-choice exams. The use of the IWFEI is hoped to improve multiple-choice item writing practice and quality.</p> <p>The results of this work provide insight into the multiple-choice assessment design practices of general chemistry instructors and an instrument that can be used to evaluate multiple-choice exams for item writing guideline adherence. Conclusions, recommendations for professional development, and recommendations for future research are discussed.</p>

This thesis is a case study of the design and development of one Canadian province’s intended Grade 12 Chemistry curriculum. It explores the story associated with its design and development and the lived experiences of the stakeholders involved. The goal is to highlight the dynamic human nature of the curriculum construction process. Specifically, through a case study approach this research identifies several dimensions of the nature of curriculum development considered by Pinar et al. (1995), namely: the “historical, political,…phenomenological, [and] autobiographical” (p. 847). This research determined the factors that influenced this curriculum and the lived experiences of the stakeholders involved. It examined how they reflected on the curriculum process and curriculum product, and investigated the deconstruction/reconstruction processes experienced by some participants. This research helps educators make more informed decisions about designing, developing and implementing curriculum.

Teachers, while teaching, are facing to some sections of schoolwork which make serious problems to understand. The main task of this diploma thesis is solving the issue of organic chemistry on the field of Gymnasium. The pedagogical attitude was chosen for the selection of problem parts. New educational materials were purposed on the basis of gathered information and thanks to the research the efficiency of teaching the organic chemistry and its problematic parts should augment the undestanding of the problematic parts as well as the bettering of education. Theoretical part of the diploma thesis looks into the methodology of pedagogical research, curriculum documents, didactic methods and forms and literature exploration of defined problem parts of textbooks of organic chemisty for the high schools. Consequently, the practical part exposes results of the performed pedagogical research and the analyse of schoolbooks. Including noticed facts, the main output of the dissertation is the package of the new educational materials and various methods of education focused on the specific parts of the curriculum of organic chemistry, specificaly the set of the new instructional backgrounds solving the circumstances of organical chemistry. These educational materials and the proposed methods of education were also...

Kemin uppfattas av många som ett svårt ämne att lära ut och att lära sig, eftersom ämnets abstrakta natur gör att den verkar orelaterade till vardagliga upplevelser. Som förklaring till observerbara kemiska förändringar krävs visualisering av fenomen som sker på atomnivå. Dagens skola är digitaliserad och digitala verktyg används som hjälpmedel i kemiundervisningen, vilket underlättar undervisningen. Filmer är därför populära digitalahjälpmedel i kemiundervisning bland lärarna. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur kemins tre perspektiv (makro-, submikro- ochsymboliska perspektiv) uttrycks i pedagogiska filmer i kemiundervisningen utifrån lärarperspektivet, och studien fokuserar på filmers roll som digitala pedagogiska hjälpmedel i kemiundervisningen. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes med data från semistrukturerade intervjuer med verksamma kemilärare på högstadienivå i Sverige där de flesta lärare som deltog i studien var legitimerade lärare i kemi med långa erfarenhet från högstadiet. Resultatet av studien analyserades tematiskt. Studieresultatet visar varierande termanvändning av lärare för att förklara kemins tre perspektiv. Vardagligt språk används av flera lärare för att förklara dessa tre perspektiv i kemiämnet och få lärare använder termer om de tre perspektiven i kemin (makro-, submikro och symboliska perspektiv), medvetet i sin undervisning. Studien påpekar vidare att kemins tre perspektiv nämns i läroplanen men orden används inte, studien visar också varierande kunskaper hos kemilärare om kemins tre perspektiv. Analysresultat visade också att lärare använder filmer med huvudfokus på endast två perspektiv, makro- och submikro perspektiv, trots att alla tre perspektiv naturligtvis uttrycks i filmer. Dessutom visar analysresultat att dessa pedagogiska filmer används som multifunktionellt digitala hjälpmedel i kemiundervisning. Studien presenterade några för- och nackdelar med pedagogiska filmer samt tips till kemilärare att välja pedagogiska filmer i kemiundervisningen. / Chemistry is seen as an abstract subject to understand, and it requires visualization of phenomena that occur at the atomic level as an explanation for observable chemical changes. The purpose of this study is to investigate from teachers’ perspective the role of educational films in chemistry teaching and how the three perspectives of chemistry i.e., macro-, submicroscopic-, and symbolic perspective, expressed in educational films in chemistry teaching. A qualitative study has been carried out using the data from semi-structured interviews of in-service chemistry teachers who work in different high schools in Sweden. The result of the analysis points out that most of the teachers used day-to-day language to explain the three perspectives of chemistry. The study further points out that the three perspectives of chemistry are mentioned in the school curriculum, but the terms are not used. The analysis result of the study reveals that some teachers intentionally skip the scientific terms to avoid confusion and congestion of memory in students. Very few teachers use these terms systematically in chemistry teaching with the help of research models. Study also reveals that teachers use pedagogical films in chemistry teaching primarily with the purpose of explaining only two perspectives, macro-and submicroscopic perspective even though three perspectives expressed naturally in these films. The analysis also reveals that teachers use films as a multifunctional digital pedagogical aid in chemistry teaching as it has high pedagogical usage in different contexts in chemistry teaching. Therefore, the study result also indicates that films can be used as a multi-functional digital pedagogical aid in chemistry teaching. The study also presents advantages and disadvantages of using pedagogical films and some tips to choose films in chemistry teaching. Teachers highly recommend educational films as an effective pedagogical aid in chemistry teaching.

The Czech Republic and Scotland rank similarly in international pupil's performance tests. However, education systems of these countries differ greatly. This research has three main focus areas: 1) general aspects of Scottish education including teaching methods, school and real life connections in teaching, and school leaver's destinations 2) studying Chemistry and teaching at university 3) Chemistry in the senior phase of secondary education and the change of topics and exam paper brought in with the new Curriculum for Excellence. Comparative analysis of syllabi, exam papers, government publications and OECD reports was used and personal experience from an exchange study programme at a Scottish university and a work placement at a secondary school in England were utilized. The Higher exam paper was translated and Czech secondary students sat the test Furthermore, teacher trainees and Chemistry teachers were asked to evaluate the test. Results show that Czech students are taught different things and are accustomed to different ways of being tested, ones that are more focused on knowledge and less on critical thinking. Chemistry education in Scotland is more focused on school and real life connections and newest scientific discoveries. Therefore, Chemistry support notes for the senior phase were analyzed...

<p>Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been described in a range of educational contexts. Although various learning objectives, termed anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) in this project, have been proposed, processes for identifying them may not be rigorous or well-documented, which can lead to inappropriate assessment and speculation about what students actually learn from CUREs. Additionally, evaluation of CUREs has primarily relied on student and instructor perception data rather than more reliable measures of learning.This dissertation investigated a novel biochemistry laboratory curriculum for a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) known as the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL). Students participating in this CURE use a combination of computational and biochemical wet-lab techniques to elucidate the function of proteins of known structure but unknown function. The goal of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of the BASIL CURE curriculum for developing students’ research abilities across implementations. Towards achieving this goal, we addressed the following four research questions (RQs): <b>RQ1</b>) How can ALOs be rigorously identified for the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ2</b>) How can the identified ALOs be used to develop a matrix that characterizes the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ3</b>) What are students’ perceptions of their knowledge, confidence and competence regarding their abilities to perform the top-rated ALOs for this CURE; <b>RQ4</b>) What are appropriate assessments for student achievement of the identified ALOs and what is the nature of student learning, and related difficulties, developed by students during the BASIL CURE? To address these RQs, this project focused on the development and use of qualitative and quantitative methods guided by constructivism and situated cognition theoretical frameworks. Data was collected using a range of instruments including, content analysis, Qualtrics surveys, open-ended questions and interviews, in order to identify ALOs and to determine student learning for the BASIL CURE. Analysis of the qualitative data was through inductive coding guided by the concept-reasoning-mode (CRM) model and the assessment triangle, while analysis of quantitative data was done by using standard statistical techniques (e.g. conducting a parried t-test and effect size). The results led to the development of a novel method for identifying ALOs, namely a process for identifying course-based undergraduate research abilities (PICURA; RQ1; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson 2018b). Application of PICURA to the BASIL CURE resulted in the identification and rating by instructors of a wide range of ALOs, termed course-based undergraduate research abilities (CURAs), which were formulated into a matrix (RQs 2; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a,). The matrix was, in turn, used to characterize the BASIL CURE and to inform the design of student assessments aimed at evaluating student development of the identified CURAs (RQs 4; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a). Preliminary findings from implementation of the open-ended assessments in a small case study of students, revealed a range of student competencies for selected top-rated CURAs as well as evidence for student difficulties (RQ4). In this way we were able to confirm that students are developing some of the ALOs as actual learning outcomes which we term VLOs or verified learning outcomes. In addition, a participant perception indicator (PPI) survey was used to gauge students’ perceptions of their gains in knowledge, experience, and confidence during the BASIL CURE and, therefore, to inform which CURAs should be specifically targeted for assessment in specific BASIL implementations (RQ3;). These results indicate that, across implementations of the CURE, students perceived significant gains with large effect sizes in their knowledge, experience, and confidence for items on the PPI survey (RQ3;). In our view, the results of this dissertation will make important contributions to the CURE literature, as well as to the biochemistry education and assessment literature in general. More specifically, it will significantly improve understanding of the nature of student learning from CUREs and how to identify ALOs and design assessments that reveal what students actually learn from such CUREs - an area where there has been a dearth of available knowledge in the past. The outcomes of this dissertation could also help instructors and administrators identify and align assessments with the actual features of a CURE (or courses in general), use the identified CURAs to ensure the material fits departmental or university needs, and evaluate the benefits of students participating in these innovative curricula. Future research will focus on expanding the development and validation of assessments so that practitioners can better evaluate the efficacy of their CUREs for developing the research competencies of their undergraduate students and continue to render improvements to their curricula.</p>