Abstract

1. 9 HS students The Science Research Institute (SRI): A Model forEnhancing Student Interest and Competency in ScienceMichele C. Kieke, Joanna R. Klein, and Amy S. Gort Abstract Northwestern College and Concordia University-St. Paul collaborated to develop the Science Research Institute (SRI) program, which serves undergraduate biology majors, high school science teachers, and under-represented urban high school students. The goal of SRI is to foster skills in basic and applied scientific research in order to better prepare students for further education and/or careers in the sciences. The 2007-2008 pilot program started with a 4-week summer research component led by college faculty, during which foundational laboratory skills are taught through guided inquiry labs. These skills were then used as students embarked on a small-scale independent research projects. Research teams were composed of high school students, college students, and high school teachers to provide various levels of mentoring. An academic year component brought the research teams together monthly for continued mentoring and learning. Assessment results from the pilot program indicated that the SRI program increased high school students’ interest and competency in science. • Module 1: Is the lake safe to swim in? • Project investigated potential health risks posed by waterborne infectious diseases to recreational users of local lakes • Content Foundation: basic microbiological principles and techniques learned through a directed case study • Research Project: Students monitored a local lake for microbial contamination and investigated microbial strain diversity through DNA fingerprinting • Nature of the research project had a service learning emphasis • Took two field trips related to project (hospital and waste-treatment plant) • Assessment Results • Pre- and post-tests: High school students dramatically increased their understanding of the scientific terms, while college students showed little or no increase. • Reflective journals (comments from journals): • “I enjoy doing…all the experiments. It was very fun and exciting to see the results.” • “It’s funny that I was against GMO’s prior to the debate but after learning both sides of the argument, I became a supporter of GMO’s.” • “It (field trip to Fairview Hospital) was very educational and a once in a lifetime experience. It showed me that there are many opportunities for a career." • “I would recommend this to all my friends. We do so much and you learn a lot because every activity is hands-on.” • Critical Incident Evaluations: • What represented “learning highs”? (responses from high school students unless indicated otherwise) • Doing the laboratory research was a great learning experience • Mentoring/helping the HS students was a great learning experience (college students) • Relating the lab experiences to “real life” was useful • Performing experiments on our own • Meeting and working with other people in the SRI program • Completing the scientific poster • What characteristics describe your learning highs? (high school students) • Week 1 – curious, attentive, enthusiastic, good listener • Week 2 – actively participating, willing to make mistakes, having desire to learn • Week 3 – asking questions, being focused, energetic • Week 4 – being helpful to others, confident, goal-oriented • Affective • Assessment: • Descriptive rubrics: Assessment scores were aggregated for all components of scientific reasoning and laboratory skill development. • Structure of SRI Pilot Program • Summer - 4 weeks, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Broken into two modules (2 weeks each) led by a college faculty member; students prepared a scientific poster at the end of the program • Targeted students from urban high schools and students from under-represented groups • Students earned a $400 stipend for summer, plus up to $100 for academic year • 2007 participants: 9 high school students (8 students of color, 8 women); 5 college students (1 student of color, 1 woman) and 1 high school faculty member • Academic Year - Monthly meetings • Prepared and presented oral presentations related to research projects at two local high schools (Central High School, St. Paul; and Minneapolis South) • Presented research to funding corporation (Boston Scientific) • Visited the Science Museum of Minnesota • Attended a session on applying for college presented by admissions staff • Celebrated with a banquet at the end of the program • Module 2: Is the human papilloma virus (HPV) linked to breast cancer? • Project investigated the potential connection between HPV infection and non-cervical cancers (such as breast cancer) • Content Foundation: Exercises to review basic genetics and molecular biology techniques (genomic DNA isolation, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) • Research Project: Students used the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect the presence of HPV in cultured human breast cancer cell lines • Supplemental activities explored the genetically modified (GM) food debate and the question, “What is Race?” 2007-2008 Science Research Institute (SRI) Program participants 2 college faculty • Assessment Methods • High school and college students were assessed using the following methods: • Pre- and post-tests with scientific terms related to each module • Reflective journals • A critical incident evaluation completed at the end of each week (Stephen Brookfield, 1995) that included identifying a “learning high,” a “learning low,” ways the faculty leaders were helpful for learning, and ways their small group research teams were helpful for learning • A n affective assessment tool administered at the end of the program • Descriptive rubrics (See below) upon the completion of each module that assessed high school/college student achievement related to scientific reasoning and laboratory skill development 1 HS teacher 5 college students • Two Components of the Summer Research Modules • Basic Content Foundation: • Reinforced basic scientific concepts and skills in biology • Emphasized “hands-on” activities that engage students • Provided the foundational information required to complete the research component • Intense Research Project: • Focused on the current research project of each college faculty member • Investigated significant questions, used the most current methodologies, and had potential for publishable results • Students gained a better appreciation for the work of scientists and gained experience in all aspects of the scientific method • Both components relied on mentoring and tutoring of high school students by the high school teacher and college students Descriptive rubric used to assess SRI student participants’ achievement • Some lessons learned • Individual attention for the high school students was important. • Diversity was beneficial (diverse races, ethnic background, academic abilities). • We need to better prepare the undergraduates as teachers and mentors. • The high school students were very adept at the bench by the end. • High-achieving high school students served as “mini-mentors” to their peers. • College and high school students developed close relationships by the end of the summer research component. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following: the wonderful high school and college students participants; Craig Karlen (teacher from Central High School, St. Paul); Liz Karlen (Academic Year coordinator), Alisha Cora (Northwestern College, grant writer). and generous funding from Boston Scientific, a Medtronic Star Grant, and the Cargill Foundation.