Dr. Maurina Aranda
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Purdue University, 2018
Office: SW 1190
Research Lab: SW 1390
Phone: (618) 650-3468
E-mail: maarand@siue.edu
Courses Taught: Introductory Biology (BIOL 150), Scientific Writing (BIOL 503), Contemporary Biology (BIOL 111), Senior Assignment (BIOL 497), Secondary Student Teaching – Biology (CI 352).
Research Interests: My research broadly focuses on student science learning, within both a K-12 and undergraduate context. With my background in cellular and molecular biology, I am interested in understanding how students learn these concepts as they progress from high school through college. In addition to my work in cellular biology education, I have developed teacher professional development programs and designed integrated STEM curriculum materials for middle school students and have thus studied how curriculum shapes classroom discourse and student science learning. Understanding how classroom discourse, including the content-related and non-content related discourse, affect student science learning and their sense of identity in both STEM-integrated and biology-focused curricula serves as the second major focus of my research. The ultimate goal of my research is therefore to understand student learning in biology and develop methods to further biological literacy for all students in both a K-12 and college setting.
Research Opportunities: I encourage all individuals to contact me to find out about any student-researcher positions in my lab. No prior experience in research (biology or education) is needed to apply.
Selected Publications
Aranda, M. L., Guzey, S. S. & Moore, T. J. (May 2019). Multidisciplinary Discourses in a science and engineering unit. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. DOI: 10.1007/s10798-019-09517-5
Aranda, M. L., Lie, R., Guzey, S. S. (January 2019) Productive thinking in middle school science students’ design conversations in a design-based engineering challenge. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. DOI: 10.1007/s10798-019-09498-5
Lie, R., Aranda, M. L., Guzey, S. S., Moore, T. J. (January 2019). Students’ view of design in an engineering design-based science curricular unit. Research in Science Education.
Aranda, M. L., Lie, R., Guzey, S. S., Akarsu, M., Johnston, A.C. & Moore, T. J. (March 2018). Examining teacher talk in an engineering design-based curricular unit. Research in Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9697-8.
Guzey, S.S. & Aranda, M. L. (October 2017). Student participation in engineering practices and discourse: An exploratory case study. Journal of Engineering Education. 106: 585–606. doi:10.1002/jee.20176
