STEM Education
Passionate about STEM Education
I am highly interested in STEM education, particularly in developing and assessing K-12 educational programs. With a decade of experience working alongside diverse groups of researchers, I have acquired a broad range of skills in assessing the impact of teacher professional development programs on students’ academic achievements. These experiences have significantly contributed to my ongoing research projects aimed at improving STEM education for underserved populations.
Current STEM Education Research
Successful Start: Cognitively Guided Instruction project
Funding: The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County (2023-2025)
Role: Principal Investigator
The Successful Start: CGI project will provide evidence-based professional development in mathematics for at least 300 Hillsborough County early elementary teachers. The program will integrate evidence-based practices for teaching traditionally underserved and underrepresented students and teachers. The program will develop tools for families to support early mathematics understanding at home with their children.
Bridging the Gap into the Geosciences for Underrepresented Pre-college Populations through Experiential Learning Opportunities
Funding: National Science Foundation (2023-2026)
Role: Principal Investigator
The Bridging the Gap project will develop four month-long geoscience summer camp modules that will be implemented with underrepresented pre-college students at the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend. Partnering with multiple geoscience agencies in Florida and several departments at Florida State University (FSU) and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) we will mentor and support camp participants as they learn about the geosciences and engage with real-life geoscience data collection. This project aims to raise awareness, increase access, and promote opportunities for underrepresented pre-college students to participate in geoscience. This grant will enable us to make a significant impact on diversity and inclusivity in the field of geoscience.
Experience
2022-Present
Florida State University
Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM)
Senior Research Associate
2017-2022
Florida State University
Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM)
Associate in Research
2013-2017
Florida State University
Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM)
Assistant in Research
2011-2013
Florida State University
Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM)
Graduate Research Assistant
Professional Development Short Course
August 2016
Northwestern University
Institute for Policy Research
Quasi-Experimental Design and Analysis
Lead Course Facilitator: Thomas D. Cook
July 2014
Northwestern University
Institute for Policy Research
Summer Research Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized Trials
Lead Course Facilitator: Larry Hedges
Peer Reviewed Publications
2023
Frontiers in Education
An implementation analysis of the Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) teacher professional development program.
Tazaz, Amanda M. and Schoen, Robert C. (2023).
Frontiers in Education
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1150229/abstract
2019
AERA Open
The Construct Validation of the Math Anxiety Scale for Teachers.
Ganley, C.M., Schoen, R.C., LaVenia, M., & Tazaz, A. M. (2019).
AERA Open, 5(1)
https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419839702
2017
The Elementary School Journal
Developing an assessment instrument to measure early elementary teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching.
Schoen, R. C., Bray, W., Wolfe, C. M., Tazaz, A.M., & Nielsen, L. (2017).
The Elementary School Journal, 118(1), 55-81.
https://doi.org/10.1086/692912