The CATAALYST - Planning a Rigorous Study

先前对一组类似技术的研究，研究者称之为“catalyst”（用于激活和评估学习和学生思维的课堂聚合技术）表明，这些快速反应的学习和教学技术，如果与适当的提问教学法相结合，可以在成绩和参与方面产生持续的改善。然而，对类似催化剂技术的研究在质量和数量上都是有限的。因此，研究人员建议，通过计划活动和研讨会，设计一个方法严谨的研究催化剂对K-12数学和科学教育的影响。建议的工作旨在解决实验设计，招募，仪器和分析的问题，以便随后可以提出一个精心设计的研究。研究的核心问题是：将适当的教学法和教师专业发展与使能技术相结合的catalyst干预是否能提高K-12数学和科学教室中不同学生的参与度并提高学生的成绩？讲习班将首次汇集在不同教育水平和不同学科教学方面研究过catalyst（和密切相关的方法）的研究人员。智力优势：研究人员打算开展的受控实验研究将适合于评估catalyst实现这些结果的推断。它还可以区分影响结果的可能因素和相关机制的解释。此外，它将使研究人员能够评估在本科教育中报告的先前结果是否可以在K-12设置中复制。考虑到成本的降低和技术能力的提高，K-12和大学教育工作者越来越多地采用STEM，但采用的决定应该基于证据。此外，实现应该基于对所涉及的因素和机制的理解。更广泛的影响：研究人员将举办一个研讨会，汇集来自不同学科社区的研究人员，他们还没有交叉授粉他们的工作。我们希望这次研讨会能够引出对已知内容的全面研究总结，将基于实践和基于理论的描述联系起来，并鼓励其他研究人员组成团队来计划更多严格的研究。将分发一份报告，记录知识库以及跨学科科学家团队如何更协调地开展工作。

Prior research on a group of similar technologies that the investigators call "CATAALYST" (Classroom Aggregation Technology for Activating and Assessing Learning and Your Students' Thinking) suggests that these rapid response learning and instructional technologies can produce sustained improvements in achievement and participation when coupled with an appropriate pedagogy of questioning. Yet research on CATAALYST-like technologies is limited in quality and quantity. As a result, the investigators propose, through planning activities and a workshop, to devise a methodologically rigorous study of CATAALYST effects in K-12 math and science education. The proposed work seeks to resolve issues of experimental design, recruitment, instrumentation, and analysis so that a well-designed study subsequently can be proposed. The central research question is: Does a CATAALYST intervention that combines an appropriate pedagogy and teacher professional development with the enabling technology increase participation among diverse students in K-12 math and science classrooms and increase student achievement?The workshop will bring together, for the first time, researchers who have investigated CATAALYST (and closely-related approaches) at different educational levels and for the teaching of different subject matters.Intellectual Merit:The controlled, experimental study that the investigators intend to develop will be appropriate for evaluating the inference that CATAALYST enables these outcomes. It may additionally differentiate among possible factors contributing to the outcomes and explanations of the mechanisms involved. Further, it will enable the researchers to evaluate whether prior outcomes reported in undergraduate education can be replicated in K-12 settings. Given decreasing costs and increasing capabilities of the technology, adoption is increasingly within reach for K-12 and university educators in STEM, but decisions to adopt should be based on evidence. Further, implementations should be based on understanding of the factors and mechanisms involved.Broader Impacts:The investigators will hold a workshop to bring together researchers from different disciplinary communities who have not yet cross-pollinated their work. We intend this workshop to elicit comprehensive research summaries of what is known, to interrelate practice-based and theory-based accounts, and to encourage other researchers to form teams to plan additional rigorous studies. A report will be disseminated, documenting both the knowledge base and how interdisciplinary teams of scientists could proceed in greater alignment.