Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are presented as a mechanism for improving the persistence of Black engineering students. However, because most engineering UREs are led by faculty and staff in Colleges of Engineering, it is reasonable to assume they are not immune to the systemic racial issues that plague engineering education. Existing scholarship on epistemic exclusion theorizes that individual biases and institutional practices contribute to faculty of color's scholarship being devalued and deemed illegitimate, but this topic is underexplored in UREs. LSAMP is an NSF-funded program that provides funding for institutions to create UREs for racially minoritized students in STEM, providing a ripe context for exploring the phenomenon of epistemic exclusion in UREs. This explanatory mixed methods study examines facets of epistemic exclusion prevalent in the undergraduate research experiences of Black engineering LSAMP scholars and the practices undergirding it. The findings of this study are based on survey and interview data collected from current and former LSAMP scholars. The survey results reveal perceptions of low levels of epistemic exclusion via scholarly devaluation; and there were no significant differences in survey responses based on race, gender, or whether in an engineering discipline or not. However, the qualitative phase helped explain the quantitative results. Black engineering students, specifically, experienced epistemic exclusion in ways that differ from literature on underrepresented faculty; and they perceived UREs as an opportunity for learning knowledge – not producing it. While positive peer interactions and a welcoming lab enabled epistemic inclusion, a toxic lab culture and inadequate URE program structures enabled epistemic exclusion. These findings have implications for faculty mentors, URE program administrators, policymakers, and education researchers. They are valuable for advancing our understanding of Black engineering students participating in UREs, contributing to national efforts to broaden participation of racially minoritized students in engineering education, and diversifying the research enterprise and the engineering workforce. / Doctor of Philosophy / Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are presented as a means of improving Black engineering students' persistence. However, since most engineering UREs are led by faculty and staff in Colleges of Engineering, it is reasonable to assume they are not immune to the systemic racial problems occurring in engineering education. Existing scholarship on epistemic exclusion suggests that individual biases and institutional practices contribute to faculty of color's scholarship being devalued and considered illegitimate, yet this issue is underexplored in UREs. LSAMP is an NSF-funded program that provides funding for institutions to create UREs for racially minoritized students in STEM, offering an opportunity to explore the phenomenon of epistemic exclusion in UREs. This explanatory mixed methods study examines forms of epistemic exclusion prevalent in the undergraduate research experiences of Black engineering LSAMP scholars and the practices undergirding it. The findings of this study are based on survey and interview data collected from current and former LSAMP scholars. The survey results reveal feelings of low levels of epistemic exclusion through scholarly devaluation; and there were no significant differences in survey responses based on race, gender, or whether in an engineering field or not. However, the qualitative phase helped explain the quantitative results. Black engineering students, particularly, experienced epistemic exclusion in ways that differ from literature on underrepresented faculty; and they observed UREs as an opportunity for learning knowledge – not producing it. While positive peer interactions and a welcome lab enabled epistemic inclusion, a toxic lab culture and inadequate URE program structures allowed epistemic exclusion. These findings may be beneficial for faculty mentors, URE program administrators, policymakers, and education researchers. They are valuable for advancing our understanding of Black engineering students taking part in UREs, contributing to national efforts to broaden participation of racially minoritized students in engineering education, and diversifying the research enterprise and the engineering workforce.

Undergraduate research education occurs in a variety of formats including co-curricular, summer internship, and course-based formats. Research on such programs historically focuses on undergraduate outcomes particularly in STEM disciplines. Situated learning theories such as cognitive apprenticeship and community of practice feature in exploratory research on how research is associated with participant learning. However, there is a lack of practical research on the role of undergraduate research experiences as situated learning and on the type and implementation of practices associated with undergraduate research program delivery, particularly in natural resources disciplines. Understanding the roles of such mechanisms in providing the broad range of benefits to undergraduate and mentor participants is an area of further exploration. This research describes undergraduate research experience programs, associated outcomes, and outcomes' relationships with situated learning elements. The first research chapter sampled program coordinators using researcher-led respondent driven sampling and describes the population of natural resources undergraduate research experience programs during 2012-2016 across 127 such programs. Two-step cluster analysis using program characteristics identified seven variables that distinguish between seven program types. Variables included pay amount, academic preparation activities, graduate student mentorship, highest student classification allowed, affirmative action statement presence, undergraduate cohort siting, and summer duration. Program types were underclass intensive traditional, extended graduate student mentored, professional development, distributed intensive, site-based traditional, shorter duration intensive, and larger long-term types. The next research chapter explores how undergraduate participants in a subset of natural resources research experiences viewed their programs as situated learning and outcomes attributed to their experience. Exploratory factor analysis identified six situated learning domains associated with the practice of undergraduate research in natural resources disciplines: effective mentorship methods, project and task sequencing, mutual engagement, broad repertoire, specific repertoire, and joint enterprise. Outcome factors indicated moderate to strong gains in the following areas: general skills, career trajectory, academic and career readiness, communication of science, cognitive skills, and researcher identity development. Effective mentorship methods, sequencing, broad repertoire, and specific repertoire were significant predictors of increased gains across all outcome factors. The final chapter is a mixed-methods case study evaluation of a postgraduate mentored research experience program titled PINEMAP Fellowship. Participant outcomes associated with the fellowship lend support to prior literature on how participants, particularly a set of demographic groups, benefit from participation. Findings offer empirically-based considerations for program developers and coordinators in promoting and adapting programs to undergraduates' needs and goals as well as provide suggestions for further analysis of causal relationships. Additional research is needed to explain how and to what degree undergraduate experiences in natural resources and other disciplines provide positive outcomes for a diversity of participants. / Doctor of Philosophy / Undergraduates as part of their education may conduct research with faculty and graduate students, and students generally experience many different benefits from research participation. For example, a student may individually work with a research mentor during the academic year, or groups of students may work with several research mentors over the summer, and in some courses taken for credit students may conduct research-related activities. Research on summer-based programs varies greatly and typically focuses on undergraduate outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Studying these types of programs and their participants' outcomes is difficult and some areas have been understudied, particularly in natural resources disciplines. Further, there is a need to understand which kinds of training practices identified in theory provide the broad range of benefits to undergraduate and mentor participants. This research describes the variation in natural resources undergraduate research experience programs, and it suggests how undergraduates may benefit from participating in these programs. One chapter describes an estimate of the size and types of summer internship-style natural resources undergraduate research experience programs operating from 2012 to 2016. Surveys indicated 127 programs operated during that time and could be classified as either underclass intensive traditional, extended graduate student-mentored, professional development, distributed intensive, site-based traditional, shorter duration intensive, and larger long-term types. Program types were identified with seven important variables: pay amount, academic preparation activities, graduate student mentorship, highest student classification allowed, affirmative action statement presence, undergraduate cohort siting, and summer duration. Another chapter explores how undergraduate researchers in natural resources experienced a range of teaching and social learning practices including mentor's teaching practices, how learning activities were sequenced, engagement with others, general information and tools, project-specific information and tools, and research community purpose. Undergraduates also reported gains in general skills, career trajectory, academic and career readiness, communication of science, cognitive skills, and researcher identity development. Mentor teaching practices was an important factor in predicting how much students benefitted in each outcome, and most practices were associated with other outcomes. The last research chapter used different methods to evaluate the PINEMAP Fellowship program. Undergraduates experienced a variety of gains, particularly in communication skills, although generally their attitudes toward research did not change. Mentors in the program also experienced work-related, social and emotional, interpersonal, professional, and thinking skills gains. PINEMAP Fellowship participants' data supported other studies' findings on how participants, and particularly some demographic groups, benefit from participating in undergraduate research programs. Altogether, this study offers considerations for program developers and coordinators in promoting and adapting programs to undergraduates' needs and goals as well as provides suggestions for deeper analysis of how participants obtain their gains. Further research is needed to explain how and to what degree undergraduate experiences in natural resources and other disciplines provide positive outcomes for a diversity of participants.

In an effort to address declining university retention rates and to reach students who may not make it to the library for research help, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is in the process developing a peer-mentoring program. This program is one way the library can help the institution in its efforts raise student retention rates and improve student success. Peer learning programs have proven successful in tutoring centers and elsewhere in the university for decades, and research has shown that trained undergraduates are ideal candidates for delivering general reference and information literacy instruction to their peers (Bodemer, 2014). It is the library’s hope that seeding the campus with library ambassadors will help raise the profile of the library and information literacy on campus and at our satellite campuses as well. ETSU’s Library Ambassador Program entails hiring undergraduates each fall and offering them two semesters of information literacy training with a specific focus on learning the databases within their respective fields. Once training is complete, ambassadors are deployed in the academic buildings of their majors to help students with research and to connect students requiring in-depth help to librarians. As word of the program continues to spread, requests for ambassadors at satellite campuses and at additional main-campus computer labs has grown, and in the Fall of 2018, the library plans to hire 20 additional ambassadors to meet these needs. It is the library’s goal for the Library Ambassador Program to continue to grow each fall until ambassadors are stationed in each computer lab, residence hall, and academic building on and off campus.

In an effort to address declining university retention rates and to reach students who may not make it to the library for research help, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is in the process developing a peer-mentoring program. This program is one way the library can help the institution in its efforts raise student retention rates and improve student success. Peer learning programs have proven successful in tutoring centers and elsewhere in the university for decades, and research has shown that trained undergraduates are ideal candidates for delivering general reference and information literacy instruction to their peers (Bodemer, 2014). It is the library’s hope that seeding the campus with library ambassadors will help raise the profile of the library and information literacy on campus and at our satellite campuses as well. ETSU’s Library Ambassador Program entails hiring undergraduates each fall and offering them two semesters of information literacy training with a specific focus on learning the databases within their respective fields. Once training is complete, ambassadors are deployed in the academic buildings of their majors to help students with research and to connect students requiring in-depth help to librarians. As word of the program continues to spread, requests for ambassadors at satellite campuses and at additional main-campus computer labs has grown, and in the Fall of 2018, the library plans to hire 20 additional ambassadors to meet these needs. It is the library’s goal for the Library Ambassador Program to continue to grow each fall until ambassadors are stationed in each computer lab, residence hall, and academic building on and off campus.

Conceptual and theoretical advancements have been developed in recent years to break down the assumptions and traditional boundaries that establish seemingly independent disciplines, and the research outlined in this dissertation aspires to build on these advancements to provide innovative solutions to a broad array of modern problems in social-ecological. I used a variety of techniques to address challenges ranging from disconnections between theory and application, perceived versus realized roles of prescribed fire in resprouting shrublands, and the need for broader participation in research as part of undergraduate education. The chapters in this dissertation serve as a case-study approach across multiple scientific disciplines that overcome the traditions and assumptions that conflict with our ability to develop innovative solutions to modern social-ecological problems. First, I bridge theoretical and applied concepts by showing how recent theoretical advancements in resilience can be integrated into a predictive framework for environmental managers. Second, experimental data from multiple experiments were collected in two ecological regions of Texas to assess the potential for using extreme fire, in isolation and in combination with herbicide, as a novel intervention approach in resprouting shrublands of the southern Great Plains. The findings from these experiments demonstrate the importance of moving past traditional assumptions of when prescribed fire should be applied to demonstrate new patterns of woody plant responses to the applications of “more extreme” prescribed fires while not causing undesirable invasions by exotic grasses and exotic insects. Finally, I initiated a PhD instructed course on undergraduate research that sought to increase undergraduate participation while lowering the costs of conducting research. This chapter shows how traditional approaches of supporting undergraduate research are incapable of meeting the broader goals established by society and reveal a novel approach that can provide an additional pathway for supporting undergraduate student participation at large, research-based universities. Ultimately, this research suggests that our capacity to enhance services in social-ecological systems ultimately hinges upon the integration of theoretical and applied concepts that drive policy and governance and overcoming the assumptions and traditions that limit their integration.

Investiga-se, neste trabalho, a análise de uma proposta de ensino de química, utilizando uma metodologia integradora de conteúdos e a iniciação científica no ensino profissionalizante pós-médio. Os alunos, ao ingressarem no curso de Técnico em Química de uma escola pública em Porto Alegre, trazem, em suas concepções, informações que não são suficientes para compreender as características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos, assim como competências e habilidades, necessárias para sua formação técnica, mas que se constituem em obstáculos na construção do conhecimento. Ao utilizar uma metodologia de ensino baseada na teoria de David Ausubel (1982), essa precisa estar vinculada a uma estratégia que considere os conhecimentos prévios dos alunos e, a partir daí, elabore novos conceitos das características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos. Alia-se a isso a iniciação científica que, neste nível de ensino, tem sido um importante instrumento de aprendizagem, uma vez que mobiliza os conhecimentos de diferentes disciplinas para a construção de projetos de pesquisa na área de Química e possibilita aos alunos o aprendizado de métodos de organização e construção do conhecimento. A proposta de ensino abrange uma investigação dos conceitos, uma proposta de ensino integradora de conteúdos e a elaboração dos projetos de pesquisa de iniciação científica. O trabalho visou identificar como essa proposta ocorre, quais as dificuldades e como tem sido aproveitada pelos professores nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem. A cultura de ciência pela pesquisa mostrou-se um instrumento importante e que deve ser aprimorado, pois os alunos se envolvem e adquirem habilidades que os programas das disciplinas não contemplam. A qualificação de técnicos em química capazes de resolver problemas utilizando os projetos têm sido muito maior do que o ensino regular previsto no programa do curso. / The purpose of this research is to analyze a proposal of chemistry learning that use as methodology integrated content and a scientific initiation in professional learning pos-college. The students enter in technical of chemistry, in a Public Scholl in Porto Alegre, and bring their conceptions, information’s that are not enough to understand the characteristics an reactions of a inorganic compound, as cool as, they competence and ability needed to their technical formation establishing a break in his, now, ledge achievement. By using a methodology of teaching based on David Ausubel theory (1982) we should link in a strategy who consider the previous knowledge of the students, and then, organize new concepts about the characteristics and reactions of inorganic compounds, associated with a scientific initiations, that in this learning level, has been a very important way of learning, because mobilize the knowledge of several subject-matter for the construction of research projects in chemistry and allows the students, a method of organization learning and construction knowledge. The purpose of this learning is to investigate concepts, and propose a shared content learning and creates researches projects of scientific initiations. This achievement look for identify how happens, hat kind of problems, and how it has been handled by the teachers, in order to make a better learning and teaching process. The science culture, through the researches, shows improve their abilities. The qualifications of chemistry techncols have been much better from regular contents of the course offer.

Submitted by Mario Mesquita (mbarroso@fiocruz.br) on 2014-11-18T17:20:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria_Inêz_Saraiva_EPSJV_Mestrado_2010.pdf: 725432 bytes, checksum: b2b6d62cffdf18163afbfb0d123e7745 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Mario Mesquita (mbarroso@fiocruz.br) on 2014-11-18T17:31:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria_Inêz_Saraiva_EPSJV_Mestrado_2010.pdf: 725432 bytes, checksum: b2b6d62cffdf18163afbfb0d123e7745 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-11-18T17:31:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria_Inêz_Saraiva_EPSJV_Mestrado_2010.pdf: 725432 bytes, checksum: b2b6d62cffdf18163afbfb0d123e7745 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio. Laboratório de Iniciação Científica na Educação Básica / Esta dissertação apresenta uma análise da trajetória dos jovens participantes do Programa de Vocação Científica/Programa de Desenvolvimento Local Integrado e Sustentável /Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz desde 2003 a 2008. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura sobre políticas públicas e juventude objetivando discutir a construção social e política dos programas voltados para esta população, bem como a identificação de marcos históricos e conceituais que orientam as políticas sociais da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Como estratégia de pesquisa de campo foram realizadas entrevistas com gestores Fiocruz e com coordenadores de projetos e de programas institucionais voltados para a comunidade de Manguinhos, bem como, a realização de um grupo focal com egressos do PROVOC/DLIS com o objetivo de analisar as expectativas desses alunos ao ingressarem e ao final do programa, assim como, identificar o percurso institucional e pessoal do aluno e as possíveis repercussões sociais, familiares e profissionais dos jovens que participam do Programa. Conclui enfatizando posicionamentos e sugestões que contribuam para que novos caminhos possam ser pensados na questão da inserção de jovens de comunidades carentes em Programas de Vocação Científica mantidos por instituições de pesquisa. / This work presents an analysis of the trajectory of youth participants of Scientific Vocation Program - Integrated and Sustainable Local Development Programme of Joaquim Venancio Polytechnic Health School of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (PROVOC DLIS / EPSJV / FIOCRUZ) program from 2003 to 2008. We performed a literature review on public policies and youth aimed to discuss the social and political construction of programs for this population, and the identification of historical and conceptual foundations that guide the social policies of FIOCRUZ. As a research strategy, interviews were conducted with managers of Fiocruz and with managers of projects and institutional programs aimed at the community of Manguinhos, as well as, conducting a focus group with alumnal of PROVOC / DLIS with the aim of analyzing the expectations of these students at entry and at the end of the program, as well as tracing institutional and student's personal and possible social, familiar and professionals repercussions of these who participate in the program. Concludes by emphasizing positioning and suggestions to help ensure that new ways can be thought on the issue of integration of young people from poor communities in Scientific Vocation Program maintained by research institutions.

Investiga-se, neste trabalho, a análise de uma proposta de ensino de química, utilizando uma metodologia integradora de conteúdos e a iniciação científica no ensino profissionalizante pós-médio. Os alunos, ao ingressarem no curso de Técnico em Química de uma escola pública em Porto Alegre, trazem, em suas concepções, informações que não são suficientes para compreender as características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos, assim como competências e habilidades, necessárias para sua formação técnica, mas que se constituem em obstáculos na construção do conhecimento. Ao utilizar uma metodologia de ensino baseada na teoria de David Ausubel (1982), essa precisa estar vinculada a uma estratégia que considere os conhecimentos prévios dos alunos e, a partir daí, elabore novos conceitos das características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos. Alia-se a isso a iniciação científica que, neste nível de ensino, tem sido um importante instrumento de aprendizagem, uma vez que mobiliza os conhecimentos de diferentes disciplinas para a construção de projetos de pesquisa na área de Química e possibilita aos alunos o aprendizado de métodos de organização e construção do conhecimento. A proposta de ensino abrange uma investigação dos conceitos, uma proposta de ensino integradora de conteúdos e a elaboração dos projetos de pesquisa de iniciação científica. O trabalho visou identificar como essa proposta ocorre, quais as dificuldades e como tem sido aproveitada pelos professores nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem. A cultura de ciência pela pesquisa mostrou-se um instrumento importante e que deve ser aprimorado, pois os alunos se envolvem e adquirem habilidades que os programas das disciplinas não contemplam. A qualificação de técnicos em química capazes de resolver problemas utilizando os projetos têm sido muito maior do que o ensino regular previsto no programa do curso. / The purpose of this research is to analyze a proposal of chemistry learning that use as methodology integrated content and a scientific initiation in professional learning pos-college. The students enter in technical of chemistry, in a Public Scholl in Porto Alegre, and bring their conceptions, information’s that are not enough to understand the characteristics an reactions of a inorganic compound, as cool as, they competence and ability needed to their technical formation establishing a break in his, now, ledge achievement. By using a methodology of teaching based on David Ausubel theory (1982) we should link in a strategy who consider the previous knowledge of the students, and then, organize new concepts about the characteristics and reactions of inorganic compounds, associated with a scientific initiations, that in this learning level, has been a very important way of learning, because mobilize the knowledge of several subject-matter for the construction of research projects in chemistry and allows the students, a method of organization learning and construction knowledge. The purpose of this learning is to investigate concepts, and propose a shared content learning and creates researches projects of scientific initiations. This achievement look for identify how happens, hat kind of problems, and how it has been handled by the teachers, in order to make a better learning and teaching process. The science culture, through the researches, shows improve their abilities. The qualifications of chemistry techncols have been much better from regular contents of the course offer.

Investiga-se, neste trabalho, a análise de uma proposta de ensino de química, utilizando uma metodologia integradora de conteúdos e a iniciação científica no ensino profissionalizante pós-médio. Os alunos, ao ingressarem no curso de Técnico em Química de uma escola pública em Porto Alegre, trazem, em suas concepções, informações que não são suficientes para compreender as características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos, assim como competências e habilidades, necessárias para sua formação técnica, mas que se constituem em obstáculos na construção do conhecimento. Ao utilizar uma metodologia de ensino baseada na teoria de David Ausubel (1982), essa precisa estar vinculada a uma estratégia que considere os conhecimentos prévios dos alunos e, a partir daí, elabore novos conceitos das características e reações dos compostos inorgânicos. Alia-se a isso a iniciação científica que, neste nível de ensino, tem sido um importante instrumento de aprendizagem, uma vez que mobiliza os conhecimentos de diferentes disciplinas para a construção de projetos de pesquisa na área de Química e possibilita aos alunos o aprendizado de métodos de organização e construção do conhecimento. A proposta de ensino abrange uma investigação dos conceitos, uma proposta de ensino integradora de conteúdos e a elaboração dos projetos de pesquisa de iniciação científica. O trabalho visou identificar como essa proposta ocorre, quais as dificuldades e como tem sido aproveitada pelos professores nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem. A cultura de ciência pela pesquisa mostrou-se um instrumento importante e que deve ser aprimorado, pois os alunos se envolvem e adquirem habilidades que os programas das disciplinas não contemplam. A qualificação de técnicos em química capazes de resolver problemas utilizando os projetos têm sido muito maior do que o ensino regular previsto no programa do curso. / The purpose of this research is to analyze a proposal of chemistry learning that use as methodology integrated content and a scientific initiation in professional learning pos-college. The students enter in technical of chemistry, in a Public Scholl in Porto Alegre, and bring their conceptions, information’s that are not enough to understand the characteristics an reactions of a inorganic compound, as cool as, they competence and ability needed to their technical formation establishing a break in his, now, ledge achievement. By using a methodology of teaching based on David Ausubel theory (1982) we should link in a strategy who consider the previous knowledge of the students, and then, organize new concepts about the characteristics and reactions of inorganic compounds, associated with a scientific initiations, that in this learning level, has been a very important way of learning, because mobilize the knowledge of several subject-matter for the construction of research projects in chemistry and allows the students, a method of organization learning and construction knowledge. The purpose of this learning is to investigate concepts, and propose a shared content learning and creates researches projects of scientific initiations. This achievement look for identify how happens, hat kind of problems, and how it has been handled by the teachers, in order to make a better learning and teaching process. The science culture, through the researches, shows improve their abilities. The qualifications of chemistry techncols have been much better from regular contents of the course offer.

This qualitative study examined how university students learn to engage in the practices of scientific inquiry via research apprenticeships and how such experiences prepare them to be STEM literate. Surveys and interviews addressed two primary research questions: 1. What is the nature of interaction between student participant and faculty mentor? Subsidiary question: What is the role of technology in the mentoring relationship? 2. How do students and faculty describe the development of STEM literacies in the undergraduate research experience? Subsidiary question: How does the mentoring process contribute to the development of STEM literacies? Results demonstrated the importance of learning by engaging in authentic activity under the guidance of mentor experts, the undergraduate research experience helps enable acquisition of STEM literacies but mere participation in research experiences does not always lead to high quality learning, mentoring relationships are not all the same, and the use of technology in undergraduate research experiences varies. Overall the study concludes that students find undergraduate research experiences beneficial as compared to other experiences. Research afforded them the opportunity to understand how research can be applied and gain knowledge that they would not have gained in the classroom.