Assoc. Prof. Hosun Kang is supporting students from historically marginalized communities in learning about science

Associate Professor Hosun Kang

Through an NSF CAREER grant, Associate Professor Hosun Kang is supporting students from historically marginalized communities in learning about science in a meaningful way. Despite decades of reform efforts and the use of experiential activities in science instruction, research indicates that science classroom learning for students remains largely procedural, undemanding, and disconnected from the development of substantive scientific ideas.

A lifelong advocate of civic responsibility, equality, and science learning, Associate Professor Hosun Kang is working with the Tustin Unified School District, its teachers, teacher leaders, and students to change science instruction from rote memorization to an engaging and empowering learning experience that supports historically marginalized student populations.

“This project focuses on supporting Latinx and multilingual students in learning about science in a meaningful way,” Kang said. “The discourse over who can and cannot succeed in the science classroom has been racialized. Even Latinx students who routinely receive A’s in their classwork don’t self-identify as someone capable of succeeding.”

Kang is hoping to empower both students and teachers through the partnership. Working together, she explains, the team can transform science teaching and learning at the classroom level by developing new curricula and assessments for learning, as well as generate systematic research that contributes to understanding how science teachers and students learn.

This past year, the first of the five-year project, Kang and her research team worked with chemistry and physics teachers to re-frame curriculum to both relate to students and imbue them with a sense of civic purpose. Instead of simply plugging numbers to do stoichiometry, for example, students are asked, “How can we design a chemically powered heating or cooling device for people who don’t have access to electricity?”

Early results are encouraging. Kang mentions a Latinx high school female student who historically received C’s in her science classes. When a newly designed chemistry project posed the question, “How can we use chemistry to make a difference in our community?” The student responded by designing and creating a “heating blanket” for homeless individuals and developing a website to share the product and her story. She received an A+ for the project.

(Read more here.)