Laura Kabiri headshot

WEBSITE(S)| https://kabiri.rice.edu/

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics:

Assessment is an important part of the education process. It is widely recognized that inherent gender and cultural bias exists in standardized tests. This can be particularly evident and discriminatory among underrepresented populations in STEM. For the past two semesters, peer-created exams have been exclusively used in my classroom. This assessment process was generally well received and seemed equally effective, but has not been formally compared to more standardized assessment techniques nor reported in the literature.

Separately, gratitude, or an affirmation of gifts and benefits we have received from a source other than ourselves, can also improve resilience, alertness, and energy. Therefore, it is possible that gratitude will also improve assessment performance, but the role of gratitude in the American undergraduate classroom is also largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to generate more specific data to answer the following questions:

1) How do peer-created exams perform compared to more traditional publisher or

instructor generated exams?

2) How do students respond to the use of peer-created exams?

3) Is there a relationship between trait gratitude and performance on academic

assessments?

Potential skills gained: IRB training and approval; data entry/analysis; publication preparation and dissemination (poster with potential for manuscript)

Required qualifications: Prefer interest in educational research and/or teaching but open to any major. Basic understanding of statistics and Excel would be helpful, but not required. A positive attitude and ability to work and respond quickly is a must (but I will return the favor!) :)

Direct mentor: Faculty/P.I.


Mentored presenters may have participated in these courses

KINE 495

Student Project Titles List

Health-Related Physical Fitness in Homeschool versus Public School Adolescents

The Effects of a College-Mentored Physical Activity Program for Elementary Students

No Difference in Stress Level Based on Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Parents of School-Aged Children

Changes in Food Security and Fruit/Vegetable Intake over the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vigorous Physical Activity Levels and Gratitude Among Private 4-Year University Students

Research Areas

Laura's research focuses on health and wellness, particularly in the pediatric population. She has a specific expertise in physical activity, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and motor skill development. Dr. Kabiri has also conducted two separate studies examining differences in health and wellness between homeschool and public-school children and adolescents. She has presented her research at local, state, and national levels as well as in numerous peer-reviewed journals and has a passion for mentoring undergraduate researchers.