ELRC Presentations
Abstract
Scholar-practitioner partnerships grounded in community engagement principles focus on mutually beneficial relationships that meet critical community needs while integrating learning, discovery and service. Our research aims to identify how and the degree that a physical activity-based science learning program contributes to students’ science learning and interest while aiming to support the overall wellbeing of a community elementary school that serves families from under resourced (98% free/reduced lunch) and diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (48% non-white). Partner school teachers and staff members were invited to participate in an interview where they answered questions about their perspectives and experiences with the program itself, the degree that the program meets the needs of their students, teachers and school, and how the program demonstrates the university’s core engagement values. Interviews were transcribed and then coded through the lens of constructivism. Teachers and staff understood the challenges associated with piloting and refining the program’s curriculum while discussing how the process would benefit their students (by offering new methods of learning), teachers (creating fun student-teacher interactions), staff (integration of a complementary and innovative learning approach) and the researcher’s scholarly work (pilot of a new curriculum). Participants offered tangible solutions to program challenges including increasing awareness of the program’s research plan and communication of findings. They also discussed concerns regarding the sustainability of the program given its single-instructor approach and the difficulties of replicating this collaborative effort at new schools. As the partnership enters its third year, this presentation will also describe the evolution of the curriculum and its research agenda to better meet the needs of students and their school, and efforts to increase science rigor without increasing its burden on students, teachers and staff. Findings demonstrate opportunities and perspectives on scholar-practitioner partnerships with a community justice approach.
Keywords
community-engaged research, shcolar-practitioner partnerships, science education, physical activity-based science learning
Date of this Version
8-2025
Recommended Citation
McDavid, Lindley and San Miguel, Sandra F., "Building Elementary Student Science Skills and Interest: A Reciprocal Engagement Partnership" (2025). ELRC Presentations. Paper 4.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/dlcpre/4
Comments
This poster was presented at the annual APA Conference in 2025.
McDavid L. & San Miguel, S. (2025, August 7-9). Building Elementary Student Science Skills and Interest: A Reciprocal Engagement Partnership [poster]. Annual American Psychological Association Conference. Denver, Colorado.