Educational Research Interests

I am extremely interested in how teachers leverage instructional activities, technology, and best practices to improve learning. I like the idea of providing K-12 teachers with an instructional model/framework they can utilize when creating STEM-based science learning activities. I am drawn towards learners creating working models and DIY experiments focusing on real-world learning experiences in in their K-12 classrooms.

I am also interested in immersive learning experiences and the role technology plays in creating these experiences. I see the advances in technology as an instructional designer's playground for exploring ID theories, refining existing ID models, and researching instructional best practices in the 21-Century.

I find much of today's educational research is focused on new ways of doing things and wonder if we are missing out on reimagining past best practices. I am interested in the relationship between behaviorism and cognitivism when it comes to training students to be life-long learners. I see the need to both train learners on how to use technology, develop a learner's mindset, and apply cognitive processes to improve their understanding of people, places, and things. Finally, I am interested in the role family, culture, and society play in "training up a child in the way he should go".

Research

Instructional approach usability scale evaluation. Looking at inservice teacher perceptions of integrated STEM teaching method and resource usability
Exploring pre-service elementary educator anxiety for facilitating integrated STEM modeling - Proposal
Engaging Middle school Science Students in Taxonomy with Augmented Reality (AR) Technology-Assisted Learning - Awarded Grant Proposal
Engaging Pre-service Teachers in Taxonomy with Augmented Reality Technology
Urban high school physics teachers' conceptualizations of intrinsic motivation

Grant Proposals

Purdue Innovation Hub Grant - February, 2022
Purdue Launch The Future Grant - Exploring pre-service elementary educator anxiety for facilitating integrated STEM modeling - Proposal; Awarded April 2022
Purdue Innovation Hub Grant - Engaging Students in Science Through Extended Reality (XR) Technology-Assisted Learning - Proposal; April, 2023
Purdue Innovation Hub Grant - Professional Development for Educators: Enhancing Instruction with Extended Reality Experiences for Enhanced Learning Opportunities - Proposal; April 2023
PPHS Collaborative Research Grant - A Collaborative Project to Provide Teachers with Training and Resources to Engage Students in Science Through XR Technology-Assisted Learning - Proposal; April 2023

Sharing My Knowledge

As a K-12 educator, I am more comfortable working with youth than adults. However, as a teacher I relish being able to facilitate learning within all age groups and settings. Sharing what I have learned and how I learned it has always been a huge part of my life. I would not be where I am today without teachers, educators, mentors, and cheerleaders helping me along the way. Paying it forward is my way of giving back to so many who have had an impact on my life.

Conference & Presentations

Annual Graduate Student Education Research Symposium (AGSERS) - March 2022 - Abstract

Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) - Instructional Design Practice Considerations for Augmented Reality (AR) Content Creation and Implementation in Undergraduate Science - March 2023 - See publication below

Immersive Learning with X-Tended Reality Workshop Series. Sep 29, Nov 3, and Dec 1, 2023.

Association for Educational Communications & Technology (AECT) - Design Team Processes and Decisions for the Development of Augmented Reality Resources for Taxonomy - October 2023

Indiana STEM Education Conference - Engineering Genetics and Natural Selection - January, 2024

Hoosier Association of Science Teachers Inc. (HASTI) - Genetics and Natural Selection Through Integrated STEM - February, 2024

Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) - Exploring Anxiety for Facilitating Integrated STEM - March 2024

Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) - Integration Of All Four STEM Subject Best Practices (Round Table) - March 2024

Hawaii University International Conferences (HUIC) - Exploring Integrated STEM Best Practices for Studying Genetics and Natural Selection Using Vibrating Robots - June 2024

Publications

White, S., (2023), Making a framework for formative inquiry within integrated STEM learning environments. In Hokanson, B., Exter, M., Schmidt, M., & Tawfik, A. (editors). Formative Design in Learning: Design thinking, growth mindset, and community. New York: Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41950-8_3

White, S. & Lowell, V. (2023). Instructional Design Practice Considerations for Augmented Reality (AR) Content Creation and Implementation in Undergraduate Science. In A. Fegely & T. Cherner (Eds.), Bridging the XR Technology-to-Practice Gap: Methods and Strategies for Blending Extended Realities into Classroom Instruction Vol 2. Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). - https://www.learntechlib.org/p/222293/

White, S. (2024), Novice Decision Making During Creation of Electric Go-Kart Racing Education Material. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 15(1), 12-26. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijdl/index

White, S., Xu, Q., Ilobinso, A., Yan, W., Dong, L., Zhang, Z., Babalola, A., Koehler, A., (2024). Empathy-Driven Instructional Design in Asynchronous Online Discussions. Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0762-5

White, S. K., Ilobinso, A. C., Lowell, V. L., Jones, K. (2024). Impact of Augmented Reality Learning Experience Design on Individual and Team Designer Identity. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.59668/2033.18646

White, S. K., Newby, T. J. (2024). Exploring pre-service teacher anxiety for facilitating science teaching contexts integrating 3D modeling. Journal of Research in STEM Education, 10(1-2), 19-46. https://doi.org/10.51355/jstem.2024.163

White, S. K., Newby, T. J. (2025). Exploring the application of an instructional approach usability scale (IAUS) for improving integrated STEM instructional design. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 14(1). https://jaid.edtechbooks.org/jaid_14_1/iaus