Sarah Bunnell - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sarah Bunnell

Bridging the Gap: Empowering and Educating Today’s Learners in Statistics. Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Teaching Statistics

There are many calls for humanizing STEM, including statistics. We begin this paper by providing ... more There are many calls for humanizing STEM, including statistics. We begin this paper by providing an evidence-based analysis of the ways in which personal experiences, community structures, and power dynamics may shape the data analysis cycle. Next, we introduce an interdisciplinary framework developed at our U.S.-based liberal arts college—namely, “Being Human in STEM” (HSTEM). The HSTEM initiative helps students understand and navigate their identities (and associated privileges and biases) in academia by reflecting on their own lived experiences, engaging with empirical evidence on inequities in STEM, and then developing an action project to enhance STEM inclusion. Finally, we share lessons learned from multiple iterations of this course and discuss how to adapt the HSTEM framework to create a more inclusive, humanized, undergraduate statistics curriculum.

Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research, 2020

Multisite, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in the Ecological Research as ... more Multisite, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) were assessed for impacts on student learning of collaborative science skills using a survey that could serve as a starting point for a validated assessment instrument for multisite CUREs. Pretests/posttests were administered across multiple courses and institutions, capturing effects of diverse EREN projects and pedagogies on collaborative knowledge.

International Journal for Students as Partners, 2021

In Fall 2015, Amherst College students held a four-day sit-in in unity with student protests occu... more In Fall 2015, Amherst College students held a four-day sit-in in unity with student protests occurring all over the United States highlighting barriers to inclusion of underrepresented and marginalized students.Following appeals for action, students partnered with faculty and staff in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to develop the Being Human in STEM (HSTEM) Initiative. HSTEM involves exploring past diversity and inclusion efforts in STEM, sharing one’s own experiences in STEM with others, and developing student-driven projects to improve belonging in STEM. In this student, faculty, and staff co-authored paper, we describe the origin of HSTEM; share student, faculty and staff reflections on our experiences with HSTEM; and present two inquiry projects examining HSTEM impact. We discuss lessons learned and recommendations for diversity and inclusion efforts in higher education, both in and beyond STEM, emphasizing the power of an initiative that was originated...

Case Studies in the Environment, 2017

This pedagogical project examined how embedding an interdisciplinary case study in an undergradua... more This pedagogical project examined how embedding an interdisciplinary case study in an undergraduate ecology course impacted student learning outcomes. Specifically, we examined learning outcomes following participation in a group-based case study project, which asked students to adopt the role of an expert phycologist, microbiologist, agronomist, or limnologist in order to jointly investigate the problem of eutrophication in Lake Erie. We examined student learning outcomes on exam questions that tested students’ knowledge of eutrophication compared to their performance on exam questions that tested knowledge of course content taught using traditional lecture-based methods. We also examined how students’ recognition of the value of interdisciplinary approaches to solving science problems changed across the semester, as well as changes in students’ views of the ways in which the skills and knowledge of their major could contribute to solving eutrophication problems and the complex pro...

Current Psychology, 2018

The most commonly used measure of autobiographical memory specificity is the Autobiographical Mem... more The most commonly used measure of autobiographical memory specificity is the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). There is substantial variability in the manner in which this test is administered. One such variation involves the format of memory recall (e.g., interview, handwritten, or computer-typed responses); uneven social and cognitive demands involved in each format likely influence memory performance, but links between elicitation context and memory quality have not been experimentally examined. This investigation explored the effect of retrieval context on memory specificity by randomly assigning 177 emerging adults to complete interview, handwritten, or computerized forms of the AMT. Results indicated a significant effect of retrieval context; those in the interview condition provided fewer autobiographical memories, fewer specific memories, and more overgeneral extended and categoric memories than did those in the computer and handwritten conditions. These effects were not explained by psychopathological symptoms or executive function abilities. Implications for models of autobiographical specificity are discussed.

Memory, 2017

A critical assumption of the CaR-FAX model, that overgeneral memory is partly attributable to the... more A critical assumption of the CaR-FAX model, that overgeneral memory is partly attributable to the "functional avoidance" of specific details about one's past experiences, has not been experimentally tested. Further, while it is assumed that the reinforcing properties of said avoidance leads to the emergence of an overgeneral recall style over time, this question has not been addressed developmentally. To explore these issues, two studies were conducted. In Study 1, 41 children and adolescents (M age = 12 years) were randomly assigned to recall overgeneral or specific negative memories on the Autobiographical Memory Test; participants later listened to their memories and provided pre-and post-tests of their emotional states at four time points: before and after memory generation and before and after memory exposure. In Study 2, 52 college-aged participants (M age = 19 years) completed the same protocol. Results indicated that children and adolescents in the overgeneral condition reported higher levels of positive affect relative to those in the specific condition, while recall condition did not impact adults' emotional states. These findings were not explained by differences in emotion regulation strategies or psychopathological symptoms. Implications for developmental models of autobiographical memory and emotion regulation are discussed.

Memory, 2012

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or s... more This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

Memory, 2013

This study explored the connections between multiple measures of meaning making and psychological... more This study explored the connections between multiple measures of meaning making and psychological adjustment in people with and without histories of abuse. Young adults (n =177), recollected their three most stressful memories and rated them on importance and emotional and sensory qualities. We analysed the narratives for lexical markers of meaning making and explicit references to meaning or meaning-making attempts. There was little overlap between self-reported qualities and narrative content, and they were differentially predictive of psychological symptoms and transient emotional reactions. Consistent with the PTSD literature, more salient self-report memory characteristics (e.g., visceral emotions), and negative emotion and sensation terms predicted more symptoms. The narrative indices provided the best prediction to psychological adjustment, with several meaning indices (e.g., references to positive impact) predicting reduced symptoms, particularly for the Abuse group. Contrary to meaning-making models, resolutions predicted more symptoms, suggesting that aversive feelings during memory telling may trigger on-the-spot sense making to cope with distress.

Ethics & Behavior, 2010

With the rising interest in the field of trauma research, many Institutional Review Boards, polic... more With the rising interest in the field of trauma research, many Institutional Review Boards, policymakers, parents, and others grapple with the impact of trauma-research participation on research participants&#x27; well-being. Do individuals who participate in trauma-focused research risk experiencing lasting negative effects from participation? What are the potential benefits that may be gleaned from participation in this work? How can trauma research studies be designed ethically, minimizing the risk to participants? The following review seeks to answer these questions. This review indicates that most studies in this area have found that only a minority of participants experience distress when participating in trauma-focused research. Furthermore, these negative feelings tend to dissipate quickly over time, with the majority of participants self-appraising their participation as positive, rewarding, and beneficial to society. Design characteristics that may serve to minimize participants&#x27; risk of experiencing distress are discussed, as well as implications for public policy and future research.

Stress, Trauma, and Children's Memory Development, 2008