Mark Akubo
Post-doctoral Researcher
Summary
My research work here at Cornell examines small group discourses in undergraduate physics
instructional labs within inquiry-based pedagogies centering. I employ discourse analysis in
order to gain insight into (in)equity, small group and gender dynamics. I also engage in fine-
grain analysis of the discourses in small groups to explore interconnections between student
agency in knowledge-building and their framing of disciplinary discourses, as well as
interconnections between equity and framing of discourses across multiple groups. While in the
doctoral program at Florida State University, I drew on socio-cultural and single case
methodologies to study gender dynamics, and students epistemic agency as they construct
knowledge in their small groups.