Elizabeth Ring-Whalen
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
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Lecturer
Areas of interest
Education; Science Education, Teacher Education and Professional Development, STEM, STEM Education, Teacher Conceptions of STEM Education
PhD - Curriculum and Instruction in STEM Education (U of M)
MA - Curriculum and Instruction (St. Mary's University)
BA - Biology (Augustana University)
Elizabeth (Beth) A. Ring-Whalen is a Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and directs the Secondary Science Education program at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Ring-Whalen taught elementary, middle, and secondary science in a small Inupiat village in northern Alaska; a large, highly diverse school in a large city in Nebraska; and a rural school in a small farming community in central Minnesota. After obtaining her PhD in STEM Education from the University of Minnesota, she taught in the education department at St. Catherine University and was Director of the STEM Center there. If you ask her, Dr. Ring-Whalen will tell you her passion is teaching, and she loves to help others develop their own passion for teaching others.
Dr. Ring-Whalen’s research focuses on what STEM looks like in PreK-12 classrooms and the exploration of teachers’ beliefs of integrated STEM as well as how these beliefs influence teachers’ practices and student achievement in the classroom. Alongside this research, she has worked to explore the attitudes and beliefs teachers hold about cultural diversity and teaching culturally diverse students. Past and current projects include designing and teaching undergraduate and graduate-level coursework intended to help teachers develop effective science teaching practices and culturally relevant pedagogy for their classrooms, mentoring pre-service science teachers, working with in-service science teachers to develop and implement integrated STEM curricula, leading STEM integration professional development for in-service science teachers, and working with administration and teachers to develop STEM programming in their schools.
Dr. Ring-Whalen is a native Minnesotan and she enjoys traveling with her husband and their two girls and spending time with them in the outdoors.
Dare, E.A., Ellis, J.A., Rouleau, M.D., Roehrig, G.H., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022, June). Current practices in K-12 integrated STEM education: A comparison across science content areas and grade-levels (Fundamental). In Proceedings of the 2022 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. https://peer.asee.org/40701
Roehrig, G.H., Dare, E.A., Wieselmann, J.R., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022). The rise of STEM education: STEM curriculum development and implementation. In R. Tierney, F. Rizvi, & Ercikan (Eds), International Encyclopedia of Education (4th edition). Elsevier.
Wieselmann, J.R., Dare, E.A., Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022). Measurement instruments of STEM affective learning: A systematic review. In R. Tierney, F. Rizvi, & K. Ercikan (Eds), International Encyclopedia of Education (4th edition). Elsevier.
Roehrig, G.H., Rouleau, M.D., Dare, E.A., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022). Uncovering core dimensions of K-12 integrated STEM. Research in Integrated STEM Education, 1, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1163/27726673-00101004
Roehrig, G., Dare, E.A., Ellis, J.A., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2021). Beyond the basics: A detailed conceptual framework of integrated STEM. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 3(11). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-021-00041-y
Roehrig, G.H., Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Wieselmann, J.R. (2021). Understanding coherence and integration in integrated STEM curriculum. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(2), 1-21.
Wieselmann, J.R., Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A., & Meagher, T. (2021). Becoming a STEM-focused school district: Administrators’ roles and experiences. Education Sciences, 11(12), 805. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11120805
Dare, E. A., Hiwatig, B., Keratithamkul, K., Ellis, J. A., Roehrig, G. H., Ring-Whalen, E. A., Rouleau, M. D., Faruqi, F., Rice, C., Titu, P., Li, F., Wieselmann, J. R., & Crotty, E. A. (2021). Improving STEM education: The design and development of a K-12 classroom observation instrument (RTP). In Proceedings of the 2021 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. https://peer.asee.org/37307
Wieselmann, J.R., Dare, E.A., Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2021). There are other ways to help besides using the stuff: Using activity theory to understand dynamic student participation in small group Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21710
Dare, E.A. & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2021). Eliciting and refining conceptions of STEM education: A series of activities for professional development. Innovations in Science Teacher Education, 6(2), Retrieved from https://innovations.theaste.org/eliciting-and-refining-conceptions-of-stem-education-a-series-of-activities-for-professional-development/
Ellis, J.A., Wieselmann, J.R., Sivarej, R., Roehrig, G.H., Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2020). Toward a productive definition of technology in science and STEM education. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(3). Retrieved from https://citejournal.org/volume-20/issue-3-20/science/toward-a-productive-definition-of-technology-in-science-and-stem-education/
Weiselmann, J.R., Keratithamkul, K., Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., & Roehrig, G.H. (2020). Discourse analysis in integrated STEM activities: Methods for exploring power dynamics in small group interactions. Research in Science Education, 51(1), 113-133. DOI: 10.1007/s11165-02009950-w
Wieselmann, J.R., Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., & Roehrig, G.H. (2020). I just do what the boys tell me: Exploring small group student interactions in an integrated STEM unit. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 57(1), 112-144. DOI: 10.1002/tea.21587
Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Roehrig, G.H. (2019). Creating a continuum of STEM models: Exploring how K-12 science teachers conceptualize STEM education. International Journal of Science Education, 41(12), 1701-1720. DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2019.1638531
Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Dare, E.A., Ellis, J.A., & Wieselmann, J.R. (2019). WIP: The Development of a K-12 Integrated STEM Observation Protocol. In Proceedings of the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. Tampa, FL: ASEE. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--33573
Wieselmann, J.R., Dare, E.A., Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2019). Participation in small group engineering design activities at the middle school level: An investigation of gender differences. American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Tampa, 2019.
Ring-Whalen, E.A., Dare, E.A., Roehrig, G.H., Titu, P., & Crotty, E.A. (2018). From conception to curricula: The role of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in integrated STEM units. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 6(4), 343-362.
Titu, P., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Brown, J.C., Roehrig, G.H. (2018). Exploring changes in science teachers’ attitudes toward culturally diverse students during an equity-focused course. Journal of Science Teacher Education. DOI: 10.1080/1046560X.2018.1461006
Brown, J.C., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Roehrig, G.H., & Ellis, J.A. (2018). Advancing culturally responsive science education in secondary classrooms through an induction course. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 9(1), 14-33.
Guzey, S.S., Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2018). Negotiating science and engineering: An exploratory case study of a reform-minded science teacher. International Journal of Science Education. 40(7), 723-741.
Ring, E.A. (2017). Teacher conceptions of integrated STEM education and how they are reflected in integrated STEM curriculum writing and classroom implementation. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. (10283633)
Ring, E.A., Dare, E.A., Crotty, E.A., & Roehrig, G.H. (2017). Evolution of teacher conceptions of STEM education throughout an intensive professional development experience. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 28(5), 444-467.
Guzey, S.S., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Harwell, M., & Peralta, Y. (2017). Life STEM: A case study of life science learning through engineering design. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-017-9860-0
Crotty, E.A., Guzey, S.S., Roehrig, G.H., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Glancy, A.W., & Moore, T.J. (2017). Approaches to integrating engineering in STEM units and student achievement gains. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 7(2), https://doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1148
AWARDS
2021 International NARST Conference – Research Worth Reading Recognition
2018 International STEM in Education Conference - Best Paper Presented Award
2016-2017 Haugo Scholarship Awardee
2013 Siemens' STEM Institute Fellow 2011 MnSTA/Medtronic Foundation Science Teacher of the Year Award