We conduct educational research that seeks to identify strategies that:
- improve the scientific literacy of nonscientist members of the public,
- improve the scientific literacy of pre-service teachers,
- foster institutional change that generates greater equity, inclusion, and diversity in STEM fields,
- foster self-determination among future STEM teachers to be change agents by addressing inequities and minoritization of identity groups,
- foster self-determination among members of the public to make science-informed decisions,
- foster self-determination among future teachers to extend scientific thinking into their classrooms.
Addressing Science Denial
We seek conduct research that investigates how instruction supports students to successfully overcome science denial, which is the “systematic rejection of empirical evidence to avoid undesirable facts or conclusions” (p. 129, Lui 2012). We bring together the literatures in motivation theory (motivated reasoning and self-determination theory) as well as evidence-based strategies for fostering conceptual change (e.g., model-evidence-link diagrams).
Preparing STEM Teachers
Modern teachers are tasked with the challenge of delivering instruction that is profoundly different than the instruction they received as students. We investigate several questions that relate to this challenge, such as how do preservice STEM teachers come to understand the practices of their discipline so that they may engage their students in those practices? How does delivery of integrated STEM education contribute to teachers’ understandings of their disciplinary practices and equitable opportunity to all students across the STEM disciplines? Similarly, how do future STEM teachers come to understand opportunity gaps as causes of STEM achievement gaps, and how can opportunity gaps be closed through teacher agency? Or, how do biology teachers, specifically, develop motivation and agency related to combat misconceptions about race with their biology instruction? All of our research questions related to preparing STEM teachers involves a equity and justice-oriented component, as our view is that all STEM teachers must be prepared to provide equitable instruction that contribute to addressing underrepresentation and rectifying historical injustices committed by our institutionalized systems.
Publications
Asterisks indicate student authors. All authorship decisions regarding articles arising from the RESIST lab follow the RESIST lab’s authorship policy.
Meixner T, Ciancarelli B†, Farrell EP, Silva Garcia D†, Josek T, Kelly MM, Meister P, Soule D, & Darner R. (2023). Asynchronous student engagement in analysis of climate data achieves learning objectives related to climate change understanding, statistical competence, and climate anxiety. Journal of Geoscience Education. doi: 10.1080/10899995.2023.2193810
Jin G, Wodika AB, Darner R, & Lai J. (2023). Fostering scientific literacy with problem sets that generate cognitive presence and fulfill basic psychological needs. Journal of College Science Teaching, 52(7), 85-95.
O’Reilly CM, Josek T, Darner R, & Fortner SK. (2022). Pedagogy of teaching with large datasets: Designing and implementing effective data-based activities. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education, 50(5), 466-472. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21663
Baldwin KE*, Darner R. (2021). Preservice science and mathematics teachers’ acculturation into communities of practice: A call for undergraduate research in science and mathematics teacher preparation. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 56(1).
Jayasinghe I*, Darner R. (2021). Do emotions, nature relatedness, and conservation concern influence students’ evaluations of arguments about biodiversity conservation? Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental & Science Education. doi: 10.29333/ijese/9157
Sparks RA*. Darner R. (2020). Fostering nonscientist thinking on evolution concepts through the Teaching for Transformative Experiences in Science (TTES) model. Journal of College Science Teaching, 50(2), 41-48.
Sparks RA*, Baldwin KE*, Darner R. (2020). Using culturally relevant pedagogy to reconsider the genetics canon. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 21(1).
Darner R. (2019). How can educators confront science denial? Educational Researcher. doi: 10.3102/0013189X19849415
Stomberg JF*, Walder MR*, & Darner R. (2018). A laboratory activity to engage college students in habitat suitability analysis to teach conservation, ecology, and evolution. The American Biology Teacher. doi: 10.1525/abt.2018.80.6.438.
Soule D, Darner R, O’Reilly CM, Bader NE, Meixner T, Gibson CA, & McDuff RE. (2018). EDDIE modules are effective learning tools for developing quantitative literacy and seismological understanding. Journal of Geoscience Education. doi: 10.1080/10899995.2018.1411708.
Darner R. (2014). Influences on students’ environmental self-determination and implications for science curricula. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education 9, 21-39.
Darner R. (2011). An empirical test of self-determination theory as a guide to fostering environmental motivation. Environmental Education Research18(4), 463-472.
Darner R. (2009). Self-determination theory as a guide to fostering environmental motivation. Journal of Environmental Education 40(2): 39-49.