‘MTSU On the Record’ delves into ‘nature of science’ with researcher

Joshua Reid, top left, a post-doctoral assistant with the Tennessee STEM Education Center, was a recent guest on the "MTSU On the Record" radio program. His interview with host Gina Logue will air from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, and from 6 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 25, on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. Reid has co-authored research into educators’ comprehension of the “nature of science,” an academic term referring to scientific literacy in connecting scientific concepts to personal and societal issues. (Background photo by RF._.studio from Pexels)

Joshua Reid, top left, a post-doctoral assistant with the Tennessee STEM Education Center, is the guest on the “MTSU On the Record” radio program, hosted by Gina Logue, that first aired Tuesday, April 20, on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. Reid has co-authored research into educators’ comprehension of the “nature of science,” an academic term referring to scientific literacy in connecting scientific concepts to personal and societal issues. (Background photo by RF._.studio from Pexels)

Making sure teachers are fully literate in the scientific concepts they teach was the topic of a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Gina K. Logue

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Joshua Reid, a postdoctoral assistant with the Tennessee STEM Education Center, first aired April 20 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

You can listen to their conversation via the Soundcloud link above.

Reid has co-authored research into educators’ comprehension of the “nature of science,” an academic term referring to scientific literacy in connecting scientific concepts to personal and societal issues.

Dr. Joshua Reid

While traditional methodologies test how well people have mastered scientific facts, Reid employs an additional analytical tool to determine whether they are able to assimilate those facts in their minds across various disciplines and situations.

“Can we see growth and development in how they connect different ideas?” Reid said. “Can we see differences in the way they think about these things?”

The exploratory study followed three active K-12 teachers who were master’s degree students and were enrolled in an optional teacher education course on the nature of science.

Science and Education, an academic journal, published the results in February 2021. The article is titled “Making Connections: Using Individual Epistemic Network Analysis to Extend the Value of Nature of Science Assessment.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.