Steve Bennett is a Research Associate on the "Supporting High School Students in Constructing Quantitative Knowledge-in-Use of Energy" project at CREATE for STEM. This project builds on prior work with middle school students and focuses on developing instructional materials and assessments for high school physics. The goal is to enhance students' quantitative energy knowledge-in-use through a project-based learning approach grounded in a systems-transfer and fields model of energy and energy conservation. Steve's research centers on creating a theoretical framework that elucidates how students engage in scientific modeling and finding methods to support deep learning in students.
Steve received his Ph.D. in Science Education from Michigan State University, where he was involved in several academic societies, including the National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), and the International Society of the Learning Sciences. His doctoral work included coursework in Science Education, focusing on learning theories, statistical methods, and both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Additionally, he developed a new theoretical framework for assessing student engagement with modeling-based learning.
Steve also holds a Science Teacher Certification from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Science (M.S.) in Crops and Soil Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Crops and Soil Sciences, both from Michigan State University.
