(SGER) Youth-based Program Impact on Education and Career Choices: An Exploration of Issues in Planning and Implementing Longitudinal Research

这项小额探索性研究资助（SGER）旨在探讨如何就参加课外信息技术导向的科学参与项目的青少年是否更有可能最终选择STEM相关的职业这一问题进行可行性研究。该项目考察了学生和教师信息技术体验（ITEST）等项目以及其他类似项目，以确定进行这种长期研究的创新方法，使其在方法上合理且尽可能经济。PI建议开展以下活动：2.从多个跨学科来源进行广泛的文献综述；2 .编写一份报告，比较和对比现有青年项目实施的方案方法和组织结构；撰写一份报告，总结专家对纵向研究设计和实施的见解；and4。设计和开发一项针对青少年的STEM项目的纵向研究。ITEST和类似的项目是美国国家科学基金会的一项重大投资，最近学术竞争力委员会和管理和预算办公室呼吁对这类项目进行更严格的研究，这使得尽快开发和实施新的方法和方法来确定这类项目对学生和教师的影响势在必行。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) explores the timely issue of how to conduct a feasibility study on the question of whether youths who participate in after-school information technology-oriented science-engagement programs are more likely to eventually choose a STEM related career. This project examines programs such as Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) along with other similar programs to determine innovative approaches to conducting such a long-term study so that it is methodologically sound and as economical as possible. The PI proposes to conduct the following activities:1.Produce an expansive literature review, drawn from multiple interdisciplinary sources;2.Produce a report comparing and contrasting the programmatic approaches and organizational structures implemented by existing youth-based programs;3.Produce a report summarizing the insights of experts on longitudinal study design and implementation; and4.Design and develop a longitudinal study of youth-based STEM programs.ITEST and similar programs represent a significant NSF investment and recent calls for more rigorous studies of such programs from both the Academic Competitiveness Council and the Office of Management and Budget make it imperative that new methods and approaches for determining the impact of such programs on students and teachers are developed and implemented as soon as possible.