Mollee Defends her Dissertation and Joins Research Group at Texas State
Dr. Mollee Shultz, a researcher from the GRIP lab, recently defended her dissertation titled “The Rationality of College Mathematics Instructors: The Choice to Use Inquiry-Oriented Instruction” on April 13th, 2020. Her passion for inquiry-based learning in her undergraduate mathematics coursework inspired her to pursue a dissertation study aimed at exploring the inquiry-based practices of undergraduate mathematics instructors. This led to the development of an instrument which measured the frequencies of these inquiry-oriented practices. Additionally, using modified versions of instruments used to study instructors’ beliefs and recognition of professional obligations, Mollee found patterns of multiple characterizations of inquiry-oriented instruction, which suggests that characterizing inquiry-oriented instruction as a single pedagogy could be problematic.
In her future scholarship, Mollee will link her work of inquiry-oriented practices to student experiences in the classroom. Mollee is now continuing her work as a postdoctoral researcher with a research group based out of Texas State University.