Identifying and building on learning assistants’ resources for taking up constructivism-aligned teaching practices

In this thesis, I make the case for viewing undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) as resourceful teachers with rich prior experiences, beliefs, strategies, and values on which they draw when teaching. We begin by theorizing that the ways in which LAs draw upon these resources can lead LAs to enact effective teaching practices that align with constructivist views of knowledge. To make this case, I begin by analyzing the instructional practices of a LA teaching in introductory physics whose prior experiences and beliefs serve to ground her teaching practices and teach in ways that are sensitive to the affect and sense of belonging of her students. I then present the results of a multi-institutional collaboration to identify and report the prevalences of LA resources that are aligned with constructivist teaching practices, specifically practices of attending to and taking up student ideas during instruction. After having identified these resources, I carried out a course reform to the LA pedagogy course designed to help LAs engage with and build upon their existing resources for teaching towards instructional practices aligned with constructivism in the context of reformed physics lab instruction. These studies add to the growing body of research documenting the teaching expertise that many LAs exhibit.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Engblom, Samuel Walter

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kuo, Eric
• Stelzer, Tim
• Lewis, Colleen
• Chemla, Yann

• Physics Education Research
• Physics Education
• Physics Pedagogy
• Learning Assistants
• Constructivism
• Beliefs about teaching
• Pedagogical knowledge

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Samuel Engblom

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129486

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129486