Balabanoff Group
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About
The research in the Balabanoff group primarily focuses on (1) the development of assessment instruments measuring students’ conceptual knowledge and affective variables influencing learning and (2) investigating students’ development of science practices in chemistry. Our assessment work includes the development and evaluation of a two-tiered assessment for the year-long sequence of general chemistry. To compliment the assessment, we are also developing a community of practice to support the use of the assessment and to generate a mechanism for data-driven instruction. Another area of interest of the Balabanoff group is to leverage assessments measuring identity, belonging, mindset, among others, to develop a model for retaining STEM students. This model is paired with a peer-led focus-group study investigating students’ experiences.
Our work investigating students’ development of science practices is informed by the symbolic and often unobservable phenomena in chemistry. To support students in their chemistry understanding and to develop transferrable skills, we are investigating how stuents engage in sicence practices across undergraduate chemistry courses. The practices of interest are developing and using models and data interpretation. The contexts include atomic structure models in general chemistry and acid-base equilibria in organic chemistry.
Key Research Areas
- Chemistry Education
- Assessment instruments
- Science practices
- Developing models
- Data interpretation
- Epistemology
- Retention
Recent Publications
- Echeverri-Jimenez, E. and Balabanoff, M. (2024). "Generating construct maps from a systematic review of atomic models." Journal of Research in Science Teaching.
- Al Fulati, H., Cole, A., Balabanoff, M., Moon, A. (2024) Towards a model of cognition for UV/Vis spectroscopy. Journal of Chemical Education.
- Koeveots-Beach, C., Julian, K., & Balabanoff, M. (2023) “I guess it was more than just my general knowledge of chemistry”: exploring students’ confidence judgments in two-tiered assessments. Chemistry Education Research and Practice. DOI:10.1039/D3RP00127J
- Balabanoff, M., Harrold, A., & Moon, A. (2023). Knowledge analysis of chemistry students' reasoning about the double-slit experiment. Electronic Journal for Research in Science & Mathematics Education, 27(1).
- Balabanoff, M., Kaur, S., Barbera, J., & Moon, A. (2022). A construct modelling approach to characterize chemistry students’ understanding of the nature of light. International Journal of Science Education, 44(6), 873–895. DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2022.2055190
Team
Morgan Balabanoff, Principal Investigator
morgan.balabanoff@louisville.edu | View Research Profile
- Cas Koevoets-Beach, Doctoral Student
- Salawat Lateef, Doctoral Student
- Emma Drake, Doctoral Student
- Haley Palm, Doctoral Student
- Eric Glasser, Doctoral Student
- Olivia Furr, Doctoral Student
- Amanda Borden, Master’s Student