Rebecca Hite, Ph.D.

Education

• Doctorate of Philosophy in Science Education, North Carolina State University
• Master of Arts in Secondary Science Teaching, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Areas of Expertise

• Evaluating the affordances and efficacy of emerging technologies (e.g. 3D, haptic, virtual, augmented, and mixed reality) in formal, non-formal, and informal STEM education, focusing on science and engineering education
• Exploring experiences of under-represented groups in STEM (e.g., racial, ethnic, geographic, economic) via individual and collective cognitive (e.g., learning, knowledge gains) and non-cognitive (e.g. interest, motivational, identity, and persistence) factors
• Qualifying and quantifying the impact of STEM outreach in formal, informal, and non-formal spaces
• Conceptualizing middle level and STEM teacher leadership development in policy and advocacy-based activities

Practitioner Books

Hite, R., Childers, G, Ennes, M., & Jones, M. G. (2019). Discovery Engineering in Biology: Case Studies for Grades 6-12. Arlington, VA:  NSTA Press. ISBN 978-1-68140-614-5 Available here.

Spott, J., Sobehrad, L., & Hite, R. (Eds.). (2023). Developing and Sustaining STEM Programs across the K-12 Education Landscape. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7771-7

Selected Publications

*Indicates authorship by a graduate student at the time of writing.

*Fujiwara, Y., Jones, L. K., Hite, R., &Velasco, R C. L. (2024). The Internationalization of Scientist Stereotypes Through New Media: Thai Students’ Perceptions of Scientists from Graphic Interchange Formats (GIFs). Research in Science & Technological Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2024.2435341

Childers, G., Hite, R., Ataide Pinheiro, W., Cruz, J., Greer, K., *Noble, S., & *Whitworth, C. (2024). Historically underrepresented and marginalized science fiction convention attendees’ life experiences related to science and science fiction. Cultural Studies of Science Education.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-024-10234-2

Hite, R. & Milbourne, J. (2024). STEM Teacher Advocate Identity in the United States. School Science and Mathematics.Special Call: STEM Teacher Leadership https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12658

Hite, R., Jones, M. G., & Childers, G. (2024).Classifying and Modeling Secondary Students’ Active Learning in a Virtual Learning Environment Through Generated Questions. Computers & Education, 208, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104940

*Rost, L., Hite, R., Childers, G. & Windchief, S. (2024). The Tatanka Teacher: Developing Dispositions for Indigenous Science Knowledge to Design and Assess Lesson Plans in Elementary Environmental Science. Science & Children, 61(2), 28-35.Special Call: Climate Justicehttps://doi.org/10.1080/00368148.2024.2315672

Hite, R., Johnson, L., Gottlieb, J., McNaughtan, J., & *Velasco, R. C. L. (2024). Examining the Situative Progression of Teachers' Novice-to-Expert Development in Education Policy. The Educational Forum, 88(2),151-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2023.2231995

Hite, R., Childers, G., & Hoffman, J. (2024). Cultural-Historical Activity Theory as Model for Socioscientific Issue Based Learning in Museums with Extended Reality Technologies. International Journal of Science Education, Part B. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2024.2324854

*Playton, S., Childers, G., & Hite, R. (2024). Measuring STEM Career Awareness and Interest in Middle Childhood STEM Learners: Validation of the STEM-CIS Futures Survey. Research in Science Education, 54(2), 167-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-023-10131-8

Hite, R., Feck, J., Huebner, T., Johnson, M., & Ligon, B. (2024). Creating a Buzz About Community-Engaged Research.Science and Children, 61(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00368148.2023.2292395

*McDonald, T., & Hite, R. (2024). Assessing Educational Parity of Bahamian Students’ Formal and Informal Science Experiences by Comparing Three Key Demographic Factors. Research in Science & Technological Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2024.2302998

Hite, R. (2023). Insights for Secondary Science Teachers When Using XR Technologies to Help Shape Secondary Students' Understanding of Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology. In T. Cherner & A. Fegely (Eds.), Bridging the XR Technology-to-Practice Gap: Methods and Strategies for Blending Extended Realities into Classroom Instruction (Vol. 2, pp. 95-107). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Available here.

*Velasco, R. C. L, Hite, R., Milbourne, J., & Gottlieb, J. (2023). Stand Out and Speak Up: An Empowerment Perspective in Exploring Advocacy Activities of American K-12 STEM Teachers. Teacher Development, 27(4), 525-541. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2023.2207095

*Vieyra, R. & Hite, R. (2024). Conceptualizing K-12 Science Teachers as Large-Scale, Policy Agents: A Review of Literature on Teachers' Strategic Leadership. Teaching Education, 35(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2023.2189234

Hite, R., & White, J. (2022). University-Facilitated Environmental Club Influences on Upper Elementary Latinx Students' Knowledge, Agency, and Ecological Worldviews of Distal Environmental Issues. Children, Youth and Environments, 32(2), 81-111. https://journals.uc.edu/index.php/cye/article/view/6155

Hite, R., & Milbourne, J. (2022). Divining the Professional Development Experiences of K-12 STEM Master Teacher Leaders in the United States. Professional Development in Education, 48(3), 476-492. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1955733 

Childers, G. & Hite, R. (2022). The role of emerging technologies in science teacher preparation. In J. A. Luft & M. G. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of research on science teacher education (pp. 218-230). Taylor & Francis. Available here.

Cruz, J., Hite, R., & *Velasco, R. C. L. (2022). Assembling Bones, Becoming Dinosaur: Guests' Relationships to Museum Objects via Deleuzian Assemblage within a Dinosaur Gallery. Museum Management and Curatorship. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2022.2054018    

Hite, R. (2022, February). Virtual Reality: Fad or Feasible? Ways to use Virtual Reality Technologies to Enhance Classroom Science Instruction. The American Biology Teacher, 82(2), 106-108. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2022.84.2.106

Hite, R., Jones, M. G., Childers, G., Ennes, M., Chesnutt, K., Pereyra, M., & Cayton, E. (2022). The utility of 3D, haptic-enabled, virtual reality technologies for student knowledge gains in the complex biological system of the human heart. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(3), 651-667. https://doi.org/10.1111/JCAL.12638

Hite, R., & *Spott, J. (2022). Improving Parents' and Teachers' Perceptions of Girls' STEM Activities and Interests Before and After an Informal STEM Intervention. Journal of STEM Outreach, 5(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.15695/jstem/v5i1.01

*Velasco, R. C. L., Hite, R., & Milbourne, J. (2022). Exploring Advocacy Self-Efficacy Among K-12 STEM Teacher Leaders. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 20(3), 435-457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10176-z

Hite, R., Childers, G., Jones, M. G., Corin, E., & Pereyra, M. (2021). Describing the Experiences of Students with ADHD Learning Science Content with Emerging Technologies. Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, 24(1), 1-34. https://scholarworks.rit.edu/jsesd/vol24/iss1/12/

Hite, R., Childers, G., Gottlieb, J., *Velasco, R. C. L., *Johnson, L., Williams, B., Griffith, K., & Dwyer, J. (2021). Shifts in Learning Assistants' Self-Determination Due to COVID-19 Disruptions in Calculus II Course Delivery. International Journal of STEM Education, 8, 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00312-0

Hite, R., & White, J. (2021). Hispanic Elementary Students' Improved Perceptions of Science and Scientists Upon Participation in an Environmental Science Afterschool Club. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 21(1),73-86. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2021.1986431

Hite, R., & *McDonald, T. (2021). Exploring Science Relevancy by Gender and SES in The Bahamas: Secondary Bahamian Students' Interests in Science and Attractive Attributes of Future Careers. International Journal of Science Education, 43(11),   1860-1879. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2021.1939191

Hite, R., *Vieyra, R., Milbourne, J., Dou, R., Spuck, T., & Smith, J. F. (2020). Chapter 37:  STEM Teacher Leadership in Policy. In C. Johnson, M. Mohr-Schroeder, T. Moore & L. English (Eds.), Handbook of Research on STEM Education. London, UK:  Routledge/Taylor & Francis.  Available here

*Marshall, D., Hite, R., & Hoffman, J. (2019, May). Living in the Present: Using 3D Mixed Reality Technology to Enhance Guest Experiences with Museum Objects and Collections. Conference Proceeding for the annual Electronic Imaging & the Visual Arts (EVA) Conference, Florence, Italy, (pp. 89-96). ISBN: 978-88-6453-868-6.  Available here

Chesnutt, K., Jones, M. G., Corin, E., Hite, R., Pereyra, M., Cayton, E., & Ennes, M. (2019). Crosscutting Concepts and Achievement: Is a Sense of Size and Scale Related to Achievement in Science and Mathematics? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 56(3), 302-321. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21511

Hite, R. & *Thompson, C. J. (2019).  Activity Theory as Theoretical Framework for Analyzing and Designing Global K-12 Collaborations in Engineering:  A Case Study of a Thai-U.S. Elementary Engineering Project. Journal of International Engineering Education, 1(1), 1-39. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jiee/vol1/iss1/5/

Hite, R., Jones, M. G., Andre, T., Childers, G., & Corin, E. N. (2019).  Female and minority experiences in an astronomy-based hobby.  Cultural Studies of Science Education, 14(4),  937-962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-018-9884-y

Hite, R., Jones, M. G., Childers, G., Ennes, M., Chesnutt, K., Pereyra, M., & Cayton, E. (2019).  Investigating potential relationships between adolescents' cognitive development and perceptions of presence in 3-D, haptic-enabled, virtual reality science instruction. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 28(3), 265-284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-018-9764-y

Hite, R., & Milbourne, J. (2018).  A Proposed Conceptual Framework for K-12 STEM Master Teacher (STEMMaTe) Development. Education Sciences, 8(4), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040218

Hite, R., Midobuche, E., Benavides, A. H., & Dwyer, J.  (2018). Third Space Theory: A Theoretical Model for Designing Informal STEM Experiences for Rural Latina Youth.  In T. T. Yuen, E. Bonner, & M. G. Arreguin-Anderson (Eds.), (Under)Represented Latin@s in STEM: Increasing Participation Throughout Education and the Workplace  (pp. 189-202). New York, NY:  Peter Lang Publishing.  Available here

Jones, M. G., Andre, T., Corin, E., Childers, G., & Hite, R. (2018).  Citizen Scientists and Non-Citizen Scientist Hobbyists: Motivation, Benefits, and Influences. International Journal of Science Education Part B:  Communication and Public Engagement, 8(4), 287-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2018.1475780

Chesnutt, K., Jones, M. G., Hite, R., Cayton, E., Ennes, M., Corin, E. N., & Childers, G. (2018). Next generation crosscutting themes: Factors that contribute to students' understandings of size and scale. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(6), 876-900. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21443