- Attitudes to learning science: Do they matter?
There has been much research on attitudes to science and of learning science. We aim to bring these together to develop a tool to probe chemistry students’ attitudes and beliefs about learning chemistry and to see whether this has an impact on their performance or on their career aspirations. The project involves designing and assembling questionnaires and tools and administering it to chemistry undergraduates in Monash, and at other institutions. Analysis will look for correlations with attitudes to careers and performance in the subject.
- Developing sign language for chemistry terminologies
We are working with the Deaf community to scope how chemistry terminology is being communicated via sign language. With a view to improving the pipeline of Deaf signing students into secondary and eventually tertiary science studies, this project seeks to establish how chemistry is currently being communicated via AUSLAN, and exploring whether opportunities exist to incorporate signs developed via the BSL Glossary project.
- The gendered experience of undergraduate science students in Australia
With the Australian Government recently announcing a decadal plan for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), efforts to close the gender gap in STEM are a top priority for policy makers and researchers. Yet, in Australia little research exists on the gender issues female students face at a university level. This project is currently investigating how gender differences in belonging, science identity and experiences of discrimination for Australian undergraduate science students are impacting their persistence in science degrees.
