PISEC Research
Past and current research projects in PISEC include the study of student participants' sense of agency, ownership, and science identity development, volunteer pedagogical practices, impacts of program participation on the volunteers such as development of science communication skills, long-term impacts of the program, productivity in informal settings, and program design and curricular development. See below for more details on specific research projects.Â
PISEC investigates the mechanisms by which students exercise agency, develop a sense of ownership over their scientific learning, and develop a sense of identity as a scientist.
PISEC is working to address the question of how to define productivity in informal settings, where participants can both choose and pursue their own agendas.
PISEC engages in design-based implentation research (DBIR) to assess and improve aspects of program design, for both PISEC and outreach programs in general.
PISEC is conducting a longitudinal study to determine the long-term impacts of program participation on students' interest, identity, future plans, etc.Â
PISEC studies the impact of participation on volunteers' conception of outreach and the institutional communites of practice that develop through participation.
PISEC investigates both the pedagogical practices of volunteers in the program and the factors that influence volunteers' pedagogical preferences.