Conference Agenda

The materiality of authentic scientific practice is frequently underestimated in science education . Unlike scientists who possess precision instruments, primary students’ scientific practice often relies on highly structured "material kits" or simple daily items. Based on empirical observations in Chinese primary science classrooms, this study employs micro-interaction analysis to demonstrate how the body is "assembled" within material practices.

Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari, what a body can do depends on the assemblages it forms (Gatens, 1996). The distinction between human and non-human is less important than how bodies are assembled together, and what relations or capacities this combination constitutes. Pickering’s "mangle" also attempts to show how human powers and material powers intertwine in an interactive and emergent way, revealing the critical role of "non-human actors" (such as experimental kits, light, paperclips) in the Latourian sense in the construction of scientific facts. Just as in authentic scientific practice, in primary science classrooms, we similarly observe: how students' bodies, assembled within specific material contexts, are able to do more scientific things beyond the official script; or are thereby restricted to doing specific things or even unable to do anything; or make students more prone to the risk of data fabrication. In other words, the student's body always dances with and works with material actors. Thus, distinct from bodily essentialism, "what a body can do" and "will do" is understood as a situated, open possibility.

Theoretical concepts such as Latour’s Actor-Network Theory, Pickering’s "mangle," and Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblages (Gatens, 1996) all point to the fact that the body is always situated within material practices, being supported or constrained. What a body can do always depends on the specific situation it inhabits, thereby outlining the body's numerous connections, associations, and assemblages. For instance, a Formula One racing car in a competition is actually a heterogeneous network assembled by maintaining a series of material, bodily, and informational connections; it is full of contingency, and a slight accident can instantly dismantle these associations. This prompts us to realize that many instances of a body's inaction or specific actions are not necessarily attributes of the individual itself—whether regarding thinking or personality—but are assembled within specific socio-material contexts. This urges us to focus on how materiality and its action networks support or hinder students' bodily engagement, rather than viewing bodily engagement merely as a subjective choice of "willingness," but focusing on its "capacity" (can or cannot).

Research Question: In the material practice of primary science classrooms, how are students' bodies "assembled" by material entities (e.g., experimental equipment, material kits)? Specifically, moving beyond the singular focus on "cognition" and "concept mastery" in traditional science education research, this study turns to examine the material basis of scientific practice. Combining typical cases emerging from the classroom, this study reveals:

1. How standardized experimental materials (such as material kits) limit rather than support students' agency in scientific inquiry.

2. As pointed out by Hardahl, the production of phenomena often requires a division of labor, meaning participants need to know and learn different things (Hardahl et al., 2019). The study analyzes how the scarcity of material resources in common group settings in primary science classrooms leads to inequality in bodily engagement at the micro-level (i.e., "bodies with nothing to do").

3. Exploring how students face accusations of "data fabrication" and epistemic risks when the body serves as part of the "experimental apparatus," and how such authentic bodily engagement processes might bring about further learning opportunities regarding measurement uncertainty and the resulting argumentation and explanation construction.

Physics education faces challenges in making abstract concepts relatable for students, resulting in decreased interest and high attrition rates in STEM (McDermott, 2001; Singh & Marshman, 2015). The perceived disconnect between physics content and personal relevance often leads competent students to drop out (Aschbacher & Roth, 2010). To combat this alienation, innovative pedagogical approaches that merge abstract ideas with human stories are essential (Barton & Tan, 2010). Research indicates that project-based learning and storytelling enhance student engagement and connection to the material (Kalender & Holmes, 2020; Tuveri, Sideri & Fadda, 2024).

Storytelling is a vital pedagogical instrument in physics education, adeptly integrating abstract concepts into significant human contexts (Hansson et al., 2019; Tuveri et al., 2024). It enhances student engagement, curiosity, and self-efficacy, as evidenced by various studies across educational levels. For example, storytelling helps make difficult concepts like light (Maharaj-Sharma, 2024) and gravitational waves (Tuveri et al., 2024) easier to understand. It also promotes cognitive and affective development, with techniques like "story mapping" improving students' perceptions of science (Korkmaz, 2011).

Digital technology has enhanced traditional narrative methodologies, creating digital storytelling (DST), a multimedia approach that blends videos, images, music, and interactive aspects into coherent narrative structures (Sadik, 2008). DST fosters interactive learning experiences, highlighting the dual function of storytelling in education as a means for conceptual engagement and communication (Sadik, 2008; Wu & Chen, 2020).

Book trailers, an example of DST, originating as marketing tools in the early 2000s, have evolved into significant multimedia presentations for summarizing and promoting books (Underwood, 2010). In educational settings, they function as projects that improve digital literacy and creativity, enabling students to conceptualize themes and emotions from texts (Grøn, 2014). Research indicates that book trailers foster motivation, creativity, and communication skills while promoting critical literacy and digital competence among learners. By engaging in digital media production, students gain agency and improved attitudes towards science, integrating cognitive and emotional learning alongside historical narratives (Ehret et al., 2016; Tang et al., 2021). The study of creating a book trailer for Marie Curie serves as a significant example for exploring the pedagogical aspects of DST (Yılmaz-Senem & Kösem, 2025). This approach may reshape students' perceptions of scientists, boosting their self-efficacy and motivation. The Biographical Book Trailer Production (BBTP) framework is proposed in this study as a method to humanize physics education by combining biographical storytelling and digital video production.

Undergraduate students internationally struggle with engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking on societal problems impacting people across multicultural contexts. This applied dissertation explores contributing factors to this educational problem using the framework of nested (Neal & Neal, 2013) and networked (Bronfenbrenner, 1994) ecological systems theory. Next, the study examines how the problem of practice manifests in a state university in Hungary. The issue is explored through an empirical needs assessment using a mixed methods approach and convergent parallel design with quantitative and qualitative data sets involving a school-wide survey and focus group interviews with teachers and international students studying in English. Based on the literature review, needs assessment results, and extant data exploring similar constructs, the author develops a holistic theory of learning called DTECC by synthesizing five learning theories into a hybrid holistic model. The framework integrates principles of experiential, transformative, and collaborative learning as well as digital hybrid design and critical theory –– each having positive associations with increasing student engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in analytical thinking and writing. For an applied project, the DTECC model is utilized in conjunction with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Design Thinking (DT) to develop (1) a curriculum enrichment framework for innovative critical pedagogy in mobile classrooms, (2) a pilot syllabus, and (3) a business plan for an educational consultancy called Intelligence Motion that will implement the curriculum framework across public and private HEIs in the United States and Europe during phase one of a proof-of-concept pilot study.

The primary objective of the needs assessment was to explore to what extent undergraduate international students feel proficient, engaged, and confident in writing academically and thinking critically in English. The primary contributing factor targeted in the needs assessment was classroom pedagogical practice in the university’s micro- and mesosystems.

There were two sets of research questions guiding the needs assessment at the University of Pecs in Hungary. The first group of questions targeted students: (1) What are the reasons international students provide for not feeling engaged, confident, and proficient in academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (2) How do international students describe their experiences with academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (3) What are international students’ perceptions on the type of curricula, classroom activities, and pedagogy they are exposed to across the disciplines? (4) How do international students view innovative classroom pedagogy (e.g., integration of inquiry-based experiential learning, transformative educational technology, collaborative student-centered learning, problem-based learning, etc.) and the impact it may have on their engagement, self-efficacy, and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking? (5) How do international students perceive classroom-based academic writing support for decreasing their vulnerabilities and risk factors, and increasing their coping strategies, adaptivity, and productivity?

The second set of research questions targeted educators at the university: (1) What are the reasons teachers provide for international students not feeling engaged, confident, and proficient in academic writing and critical thinking during university coursework? (2) What are teachers’ perceptions of international students’ strengths and weaknesses in academic inquiry and productive skills in English? (3) What are teacher’s perceptions of how they integrate innovative pedagogy (i.e., experiential phenomenon-based learning and problem-based learning, transformative learning, principles of social-cultural constructivism, digital and hybrid design with EdTech integration, and principles of critical pedagogy to connect classroom learning to real-world societal problems) into their courses to engage students and improve their self-efficacy and proficiency in academic writing and critical thinking? (4) How do professors provide classroom-based support for academic writing to decrease students’ vulnerabilities and risk factors, and to increase coping strategies, adaptivity, and productivity in student writing?