The Development of Researcher Identity Scale (RIS): An Example of Immersive Collaborative Assessment

Development

By: Shruti Bathia, Ben Koo, Linda Morell, Rebecca Smith, Jenna Bernard, & Mark Wilson

BEAR Seminar - February 26, 2019

Context

San Francisco Health Investigators

This program seeks to:

● Empower students as agents of positive change in their communities.

● Conduct community-based research that helps to understand current knowledge, attitudes and awareness about the health topics in students’ communities.

● Build awareness about health issues and provide information to help improve health in communities.

Goals for students

Help students:

● Develop and nurture their interests in the health sciences

● Gain confidence in their abilities

● Learn how to positively affect change in their communities through

community-based participatory research

Program Overview ● 20 students from San Francisco public schools

● Year-long program

○ Summer Intensive

○ Monthly Follow-ups

● Past 3 years’ topics -

○ Infectious Disease and Immunity

○ Antibiotic Resistance

○ Cancer

Formative Research

Health Message Development

Message Effectiveness

Project Phases

Summer Intensive - Training

● Hands-on science experiences● Field trips● Teamwork and community

building

Summer Intensive - Formative Research

Survey Data Collection around San Francisco

Summer Intensive - Health Message Development

● Health message campaign development

● Campaign pitches

Monthly Follow-ups

● Health message campaign refinement● Campaign launch preparation

2017 Campaign: SuperDrugDefenders.org

2018 Campaign: ScreeningCancer.org

ScreeningCancer.org

Phases of Student Research

DEVELOP CAMPAIGN

Designed to reach

underrepresented communities

& inform change.

SUMMATIVETesting effectiveness of

students’ health messages using

the Health Belief Model

DATA ANALYSIS

Baseline understandings of

knowledge and awareness

in the community

IMPLEMENT

HEALTH MESSAGES

Survey for changes in

knowledge and awareness

FORMATIVE

Students edit and administer

intercept surveys using

SEP’s drafted questionsTONE

AUDIENCE

CALL TO ACTION

Assessment

Content Area Construct MapsUnderstanding Infectious Diseases - 2017

Levels Description

Communicating Students use their knowledge to

communicate effectively about

infectious diseases and their

prevention.

Synthesizing Students connect their knowledge of

infectious diseases to a broader

context.

Function Students understand the relationship

between a disease agent and an

outbreak, and how we halt the cycle of

disease transmission.

Naming

components of

immunity

Student is beginning to develop an

awareness of infectious disease as a

subset of diseases.

Naive Student has a naïve or nascent

awareness of infectious disease

Levels Description

Comprehensive Student has in-depth knowledge of antibiotic

resistance, how it can propagate and

understands how antibiotic resistance is a

global health issue.

Synthesizing Student has knowledge of antibiotic resistance

and understands how this resistance can affect

them individually.

Function Student is aware of how antibiotics function.

They are beginning to develop an

understanding about antibiotic resistance

Familiarity Student is familiar with antibiotics in a broad

sense. They may not have knowledge about

antibiotic resistance and what that means but

may know that sometimes antibiotics don’t

work.

Naive Student has a naïve or nascent awareness of

antibiotics. Student has a naïve or nascent

awareness of of the causes or consequences of

antibiotic resistance.

Understanding Antibiotic Resistance - 2018

Researcher Identity: Purpose

● We are interested in understanding how the SEP program

impacts students’ identities, and specifically the development

of their identities as researchers

● We are also interested in developing an instrument that other

programs with similar goals can use

Who is a researcher? In what ways am I a researcher?

What the students have to say..

Researcher Identity

● Most studies have focused on science identity or academic identity● Most studies are done in higher education● Research shows students’ preconceived notions of science and

scientists to be very limited● Plan to develop an instrument with broad applications across

scientific disciplines

Construct: Researcher IdentityDefinition: A “researcher” is defined as someone who conducts an organized and

systematic investigation on a topic or question related to a scientific field.

Construct map consists of 4 strands

● Self - Current idea of self-identity as a researcher. The focus here is on how

the student feels about their-self at the present moment

● Community - Sense of belonging to a research community

● Agency - The degree to which a student feels empowered to impact change

through research

● Fit & Aspiration - Interest in research as a career path and belief in research

as a great fit to their personal interests (future self)