About

Estrella Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech, where she has been since 2013. She earned her PhD in Mathematics Education from Portland State University. Her research focuses on pedagogical practices of mathematicians, aiming to understand and support high-quality, ambitious teaching in undergraduate mathematics classrooms. Her work has expanded to include issues of inclusion and diversity within mathematics education and the sciences. Johnson is currently serving as the Assistant Dean of Broadening Participation. Her research agenda investigates classroom instructional practices, emphasizing a shift from traditional lecture-based instruction toward active learning. She has led investigations into powerful instructional practices, including analyzing and characterizing inquiry-oriented instruction, and measuring its implementation. Her work includes developing and evaluating instructional supports, such as online materials and professional development programs, to facilitate meaningful instructional change. Johnson's research also explores factors influencing pedagogical decisions, considering individual and situational influences, and analyzing how external pressures and institutional characteristics impact teaching practices. Her contributions include conducting national surveys and developing models to understand and improve pedagogical approaches in undergraduate mathematics education.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Mathematics education
• Psychology
• Pedagogy
• Artificial Intelligence
• Sociology
• Political Science
• Mathematics
• Gender studies
• Physics
• Medical education
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Collaborating with mathematicians to use active learning in university mathematics courses: the importance of attending to mathematicians’ obligations

  Educational Studies in Mathematics · 2025-01-17 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract In this paper, we discuss our experience in collaborating with mathematicians to increase their use of active learning pedagogy in a proof-based linear algebra course. The mathematicians we worked with valued using active learning pedagogy to increase student engagement but were reluctant to use active learning pedagogy due to time constraints. Our mathematicians perceived obligations in their teaching that increased the time it would take to implement some of the active learning pedagogy that we suggested, leading them to view this pedagogy as inviable. By attending to mathematicians’ obligations, we were able to design active learning strategies that met the interests and needs of the mathematics educators and mathematicians collaborating on this project.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Whose experiences are we capturing? A critical reflection on classroom observation measures

  Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · 2025-07-28

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• A National Snapshot of Introductory Chemistry Instructors and Their Instructional Practices

  Journal of Chemical Education · 2024-03-13 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access

  The effectiveness of active learning on promoting students' academic outcomes and persistence has been established in the literature. However, despite the effort of purposeful change agents, the uptake of active learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is slow. While previous research from the chemistry education community has provided insights into the implementation of specific active learning strategies across the United States, the extent to which chemistry instructors leverage these strategies in general remains unknown. This article presents the results of a national survey aimed at exploring introductory chemistry instructors' knowledge and implementation of active learning, variations on this knowledge, and use across tenure statuses and institution types. This paper also aims to address the gap in the literature in our understanding of the characteristics of instructors of these courses. We thus provide a description of instructors' demographics, training, teaching experience, and teaching responsibilities. Our findings reveal that instructors in these courses are prominently males of European descent. Additionally, instructors come into their teaching position with minimal pedagogical training and participate mainly in short training once in their position. While the majority of instructors have knowledge of specific active learning strategies, their consistent implementation remains limited, with lecturing still being the instructional practice of choice. Variations were found between institution types and across tenure statuses within institutions in terms of pedagogical training, use of specific active learning strategies, and proportion of class time spent lecturing. The findings provide a baseline for future studies that aim to assess the effectiveness of interventions fostering the implementation of active learning in introductory chemistry courses and highlight the critical need for improved communication about teaching practices across institutions and tenure statuses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Physics instructors’ knowledge and use of active learning has increased over the last decade but most still lecture too much

  Physical Review Physics Education Research · 2024-04-02 · 15 citations

  articleOpen access

  A survey of 722 physics faculty conducted in 2008 found that many physics instructors had knowledge of research-based instructional strategies (RBISs), were interested in using more, but often discontinued use after trying. Considerable effort has been made during the decade following 2008 to develop and disseminate RBISs in physics as well as change the culture within the physics community to value RBIS use and other forms of student-centered instruction. This paper uses data from a 2019 survey of 1176 physics instructors to understand the current state of RBIS use in college-level introductory physics, thus allowing us to better understand some of the impacts of these efforts on physics instruction. Results show that self-reported knowledge and use of RBISs has increased considerably and discontinuation is now relatively low. However, although the percentage of time lecturing is less than 10 years ago, many instructors still engage in substantial lecturing (i.e., more than one-third of class time). Relatedly, we find that the majority of RBIS use centers on pedagogies designed to supplement a primarily lecture-based classroom rather than pedagogies designed to support a primarily active learning classroom. This suggests that the physics education research community and beyond has done well promoting knowledge about RBISs and inspiring instructors to try RBISs in their courses. But, there is still room to improve. Based on available evidence about effective instructional practices, we recommend that change agents focus on supporting instructors to increase the percent of class time in active learning and to implement higher impact strategies. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Characteristics of departments with high-use of active learning in introductory STEM courses: implications for departmental transformation

  International Journal of STEM Education · 2024-02-12 · 12 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background It is well established in the literature that active learning instruction in introductory STEM courses results in many desired student outcomes. Yet, regular use of high-quality active learning is not the norm in many STEM departments. Using results of a national survey, we identified 16 departments where multiple instructors reported using high levels of active learning in their introductory chemistry, mathematics, or physics courses. We conducted interviews with 27 instructors in these 16 departments to better understand the characteristics of such departments. Results Using grounded theory methodology, we developed a model that highlights relevant characteristics of departments with high use of active learning instruction in their introductory courses. According to this model, there are four main, interconnected characteristics of such departments: motivated people, knowledge about active learning, opportunities, and cultures and structures that support active learning. These departments have one or more people who are motivated to promote the use of active learning. These motivated people have knowledge about active learning as well as access to opportunities to promote the use of active learning. Finally, these departments have cultures and structures that support the use of active learning. In these departments, there is a positive feedback loop that works iteratively over time, where motivated people shape cultures/structures and these cultures/structures in turn increase the number and level of commitment of the motivated people. A second positive feedback loop was found between the positive outcome of using active learning instruction and the strengthening of cultures/structures supportive of active learning. Conclusions According to the model, there are two main take-away messages for those interested in promoting the use of active learning. The first is that all four components of the model are important. A weak or missing component may limit the desired outcome. The second is that desired outcomes are obtained and strengthened over time through two positive feedback loops. Thus, there is a temporal aspect to change. In all of the departments that were part of our study, the changes took at minimum several years to enact. While our model was developed using only high-use of active learning departments and future work is needed to develop the model into a full change theory, our results do suggest that change efforts may be made more effective by increasing the robustness of the four components and the connections between them.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• When Small Changes Lead to Big Impact: Hysteresis in Mathematics Teaching

  Notices of the American Mathematical Society · 2023-10-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Examining whether and how instructional coordination occurs within introductory undergraduate STEM courses

  Frontiers in Education · 2023-04-17 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  Instructors’ interactions can foster knowledge sharing around teaching and the use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). Coordinated teaching presents an impetus for instructors’ interactions and creates opportunities for instructional improvement but also potentially limits an instructor’s autonomy. In this study, we sought to characterize the extent of coordination present in introductory undergraduate courses and to understand how departments and instructors implement and experience course coordination. We examined survey data from 3,641 chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors at three institution types and conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of 24 survey respondents to determine what types of coordination existed, what factors led to coordination, how coordination constrained instruction, and how instructors maintained autonomy within coordinated contexts. We classified three approaches to coordination at both the overall course and course component levels: independent (i.e., not coordinated), collaborative (decision-making by instructor and others), controlled (decision-making by others, not instructor). Two course components, content coverage and textbooks, were highly coordinated. These curricular components were often decided through formal or informal committees, but these decisions were seldom revisited. This limited the ability for instructors to participate in the decision-making process, the level of interactions between instructors, and the pedagogical growth that could have occurred through these conversations. Decision-making around the other two course components, instructional methods and exams, was more likely to be independently determined by the instructors, who valued this autonomy. Participants in the study identified various ways in which collaborative coordination of courses can promote but also inhibit pedagogical growth. Our findings indicate that the benefits of collaborative course coordination can be realized when departments develop coordinated approaches that value each instructor’s autonomy, incorporate shared and ongoing decision-making, and facilitate collaborative interactions and knowledge sharing among instructors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “I use IBL in this course” may say more about an instructor’s beliefs than about their teaching

  International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education · 2022-08-09 · 10 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Association of malleable factors with adoption of research-based instructional strategies in introductory chemistry, mathematics, and physics

  Frontiers in Education · 2022-11-21 · 20 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Active learning pedagogies are shown to enhance the outcomes of students, particularly in disciplines known for high attrition rates. Despite the demonstrated benefits of active learning, didactic lecture continues to predominate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Change agents and professional development programs have historically placed emphasis on develop–disseminate efforts for the adoption of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). With numerous reported barriers and motivators for trying out and adopting active learning, it is unclear to what extent these factors are associated with adoption of RBIS and the effectiveness of change strategies. We present the results of a large-scale, survey-based study of introductory chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors and their courses in the United States. Herein, we evaluate the association of 17 malleable factors with the tryout and adoption of RBIS. Multilevel logistic regression analyses suggest that several contextual, personal, and teacher thinking factors are associated with different stages of RBIS adoption. These results are also compared with analogous results evaluating the association of these factors with instructors’ time spent lecturing. We offer actionable implications for change agents to provide targeted professional development programming and for institutional leaders to influence the adoption of active learning pedagogies in introductory STEM courses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• When Active Learning Is Inequitable: Women’s Participation Predicts Gender Inequities in Mathematical Performance

  Journal for Research in Mathematics Education · 2022 · 72 citations

  • Sociology
  • Mathematics education
  • Political Science

  This article investigates the implementation of inquiry-oriented instruction in 20 undergraduate mathematics classrooms. In contrast to conventional wisdom that active learning is good for all students, we found gendered performance differences between women and men in the inquiry classes that were not present in a noninquiry comparison sample. Through a secondary analysis of classroom videos, we linked these performance inequities to differences in women’s participation rates across classes. Thus, we provide empirical evidence that simply implementing active learning is insufficient, and that the nature of inquiry-oriented classrooms is highly consequential for improving gender equity in mathematics.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Teaching Inquiry-oriented Mathematics: Establishing Supports

  NSF · $297k · 2014–2019

• Collaborative Research: Evaluating the Uptake of Research-Based Instructional Strategies in Undergraduate Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics

  NSF · $129k · 2017–2022

Frequent coauthors

• Marilyne Stains

  University of Virginia

  10 shared

• Charles Henderson

  Western Michigan University

  10 shared

• Melissa Dancy

  Western Michigan University

  9 shared

• Jeffrey R. Raker

  University of South Florida

  9 shared

• Naneh Apkarian

  Arizona State University

  9 shared

• Timothy Fukawa-Connelly

  Temple University

  7 shared

• Rachel Keller

  Virginia Tech

  6 shared

• Christine Larson

  4 shared

Labs

• Estrella Johnson LabPI

Awards & honors

• Annie and John Selden Prize for Research