ITEST Convening: Advancing Research on Youth Motivation in STEM

教育发展中心公司（EDC）的ITEST学习资源中心要求为一次会议提供资金，该会议旨在制定一个理论框架，以指导未来关于STEM青年动机的研究，特别强调STEM劳动力中代表性最不足的人群。两个指导性问题将是此次活动的焦点：目前对代表性不足的青年的STEM动机了解多少？如何为未被充分代表的青年培养有关STEM动机的新研究？主要目标受众是社会学家、心理学家、STEM动机和职业发展研究的研究人员，以及ITEST社区的成员，包括主要研究人员、评估人员和项目主管。次要受众包括STEM项目开发者和从业者、政策制定者以及正在建设STEM劳动力的行业领导者。在会议之前，将邀请部分与会者起草关于动机、自我认同以及正式和非正式环境中的教育实践等主题的白皮书。白皮书将在为期2.5天的会议期间发布，并用于指导对话。一个独特的特点是将包括12名青年与会者，他们将在会前的博客中介绍他们在ITEST项目中的经验，并对一项在线调查作出回应。青年将作为演讲者和参与者充分融入会议，重点关注STEM项目设计。可交付成果包括指导未来STEM动机研究的理论研究框架、ITEST项目中与兴趣和动机相关的调查数据和分析、青年参与者的调查数据、ITEST项目负责人将措施纳入其计划的建议，以及会议后的网络直播。项目评价将由MPR协会使用定性和调查数据进行。评价问题涉及规划、召集后勤、信息综合和传播。会议结束后，最终报告将在ITEST学习资源中心网站上发布。会议召开后将举行网络会议，以鼓励新的研究项目和开发STEM激励工具。预计此次会议将在参与者之间建立新的工作关系，确定ITEST项目要素，促进有效的STEM动机，职业发现和动机，以及ITEST对STEM青年动机的影响。解决STEM青年动机的新研究工作应该来自研究框架，ITEST社区和整个领域将更好地了解如何定义、验证和复制STEM劳动力发展战略的动机方面。

The ITEST Learning Resource Center at the Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC) requests funding for a convening designed to develop a theoretical framework to guide future research on youth motivation in STEM with a particular emphasis on populations most underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Two guiding questions will be the focus of the event: What is currently known about motivation in STEM for underrepresented youth? What can be done to cultivate new research around STEM motivation for underrepresented youth? The primary target audience is sociologists, psychologists, and researchers in STEM motivation and career development research, and members of the ITEST community including principal investigators, evaluators, and program directors. Secondary audiences include STEM program developers and practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders that are building the STEM workforce. Prior to the conference, a select number of attendees will be invited to draft white papers on topics such as motivation, self-identity, and educational practices in formal and informal settings. The white papers will be presented during the 2.5 day convening and used to guide the conversations. A unique feature will be the inclusion of 12 youth participants who will populate a pre-conference blog with reflections of their experiences in ITEST projects and respond to an online survey. Youth will be fully integrated into the meetings as presenters and participants in sessions that focus on STEM program design. The deliverables include a theoretical research framework to guide future STEM motivation research, survey data and analysis from ITEST projects related to interest and motivation, survey data from youth participants, suggestions for ITEST PIs to integrate measures into their programs, and a post-convening webcast. The project evaluation will be conducted by MPR Associates using qualitative and survey data. Evaluation questions address planning, convening logistics, synthesis of information, and dissemination. After the convening, a final report will be published on the ITEST Learning Resource Center website. A post-convening web-conference will be held to stimulate new research projects and the development of STEM motivation instruments. It is anticipated that the convening will result in new working relationships among participants, identification of ITEST program elements that foster effective STEM motivation, career discovery, and motivation, and a map of ITEST impacts on youth motivation in STEM. New research efforts that address youth motivation in STEM should result from the research framework and the ITEST community and the field at large will be better informed about how to define, validate, and replicate motivational aspects of the STEM workforce development strategies.