Mandi Collins: Rooted in rural Nevada: Understanding STEM teacher success through educator narratives
Title
Rooted in rural Nevada: Understanding STEM teacher success through educator narratives
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Mandi Collins, Ph.D. is a Teaching Associate Professor in the NevadaTeach program. Among the many facets of her role, Collins’ position as an undergraduate instructor fulfills her desire to support the development and success of future educators in STEM. After teaching science in the secondary classroom for more than 13 years, she joined the NevadaTeach team. She teaches NevadaTeach courses, organizes and coordinates field experiences, supervises apprentice teachers, and supports NevadaTeach induction with recent graduates. As an award-winning instructor, Collins strives to model a safe, respectful, and productive classroom environment to support the academic and personal development of her students. She is also the Director of the Raggio Center for Advancement in (STEM)². In this component of her role, she is focused on promoting the Center by building synergistic partnerships that will advance teaching and learning through educational research and maximized engagement and outreach in STEM education.
Project overview
Rural communities across Nevada face ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified STEM teachers. This project seeks to better understand the experiences, supports, and factors that contribute to successful and sustained careers in rural STEM education. Through interviews and qualitative analysis, the project will explore the stories of STEM teachers who have built meaningful and impactful careers in rural Nevada schools. Findings will help identify common themes related to teacher preparation, professional growth, community connections, and career persistence.
The Pack Research Experience Program (PREP) student will work closely with the faculty mentor to learn about educational research methods and qualitative data analysis. Responsibilities may include conducting background research, assisting with interviews, organizing and transcribing data, coding educator narratives for emerging themes, and contributing to the development of research summaries and presentations. The student will gain hands-on experience in research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination while contributing to efforts that support Nevada's rural STEM teacher workforce. The project's findings may inform future teacher recruitment initiatives, educator preparation programs, and outreach efforts led by the Raggio Center for Advancement in (STEM)².
Student Training Opportunities
- Literature Review: Developing strategies for locating, reading, and synthesizing educational research
- Human Subjects and Research Ethics: Learn the fundamentals of ethical research including consent, confidentiality, and working with human subject participants
- Data Collection and Analysis: Develop skills for interviewing and organizing, coding, and identifying themes within a narrative.
- Professional Dissemination: Gain experience reporting findings and presenting for academic audiences.
Required Qualifications
Preferred applicants will have majors in the College of Education and Human Development.
Maximum hours per week
The PREP student will be expected to work on the project for a maximum of 5 hours per week.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application