DMS Colloquium: Dr. Melinda Lanius

Title: Playing the villain: Approaches to validity in undergraduate mathematics education research

Abstract: In the setting of education research, a measure assigns a numerical value to represent the degree to which a target attribute appears; For example, a psychometric scale for math anxiety assigns a numerical value to indicate if an undergraduate student has high, medium, or low/no math anxiety. How do we know if a measure means what we think it means? We can collect evidence of validity! In this highly interactive talk, I will share my journey in understanding validity and the types of evidence we can use to assess the soundness of our measures. This reflective work has required me to look at my study designs unenthusiastically and critically, "playing the villain" in my own research program. Please come join me for an afternoon of fun, where we put on our critic hats and explore validity in undergraduate mathematics education research!