2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

IMPROVING TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD PHYSICS BY INTEGRATING MUSIC IN ONLINE AND IN-PERSON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AN ITEST STUDY.

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

In recent years, the use of virtual meetings in work settings has dramatically increased, and society has become more open to having large online meetings. This has expanded the possibilities of reaching and training teachers nationwide through online professional development. This expansion calls for a more thorough understanding of the effectiveness of online training. Building on previous research demonstrating the positive effects of music-centered PD on teachers' perceptions of teaching the physics of sound and waves, we examine the comparative effectiveness of in-person and online PD modalities. The study utilizes a curriculum developed by our team, emphasizing hands-on and browser-based applications that allow teachers and students to playfully explore and create sound. Surveys conducted before, after, and following the classroom implementation of the curriculum assessed changes in teachers' enjoyment, confidence, and content knowledge related to teaching science, physics, and sound. Results from 79 participating teachers, including 46 in virtual and 33 in-person workshops, reveal no significant differences in effectiveness between the two formats. Both modalities resulted in significant improvements in teachers’ attitudes. Teachers highlighted the value of well-organized resources, such as Google Slides with video tutorials, teaching tips, and structured lesson plans, which enhanced the ease of classroom implementation. These findings suggest that PD programs integrating music and science are equally effective across modalities and benefit significantly from teacher-friendly resource design. This study contributes to the ongoing evaluation of online and in-person PD, offering insights for designing impactful educational experiences. This work was funded by NSF’s Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST).

Authors

Dr. Victor Hugo Minces* University of California, San Diego [biography]

Corresponding Author. Dr. Minces studied physics at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and obtained his Ph.D. in Computational Neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego. His interests are very diverse, including sensory and neural processing in animals and humans. He is the creator of Listening to Waves, a program creating online tools and curriculum for children to learn about science and computing through playful exploration of sound. He is also a science-of-sound artist and performer.
Dr. Linlin Li WestEd [biography]

Dr. Linlin Li, Research Director at WestEd. has more than 20 years of experience in research, evaluation, and consulting, including key roles on cross-site, multi-year federally funded projects. Her research work focuses on the areas of developmental psychology, math, science, and social-emotional interventions, and family engagement. Her recent work involves using interactive games to design and evaluate interventions for students living in poverty and at risk for academic difficulties. She received her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Susan Yonezawa University of California, San Diego
Eunice Chow [biography]

Eunice Chow, M.A., is a Research Associate at WestEd. She has extensive experience leading and supporting research and evaluation studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Her research focuses on educational technology and early learning. Her expertise ranges from usability and implementation studies to multi-year randomized controlled trials. She earned her M.A. in Education from Stanford University and her B.S. in Psychology and Learning & Organizational Change from Northwestern University.
Alec Barron University of California, San Diego [biography]

Dr. Alec Barron is the Director of the San Diego Science Project at UC San Diego CREATE. Through this role, he supports science educator networks, delivers engaging science programs and resources, and builds bridges between researchers and educators through shared learning. In previous roles as a K12 science teacher and administrator, he led the design of new curricula, professional learning, and instructional coaching to support NGSS implementation. As a leader, he is interested in how we develop systems and supports for science educators to continuously improve and innovate as equity designers.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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