EXP: Developing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math ( STEM) Identities through Participation in Science-Infused Media and Virtual Peer Networks

研究人员正在试图了解学校图书馆、学校图书馆员和虚拟对等网络（vpn）在帮助中学生对STEM感兴趣、想象自己从事STEM职业、并将自己视为对科学感兴趣的人方面所起的作用。在四所不同的学校里，由科学老师（对科学特别感兴趣的人）、英语老师（对讲故事和写作特别感兴趣的人）和图书管理员（特别好奇的人）招募的年轻人一起参加了一个课后项目，学习如何撰写与科学相关的故事，并为此目的使用各种媒体。每个社区的成员在写作和学习上相互支持。该软件登记了他们的“合作者”，并帮助他们跟踪社区成员的专业知识。社会技术系统（软件、讲故事活动、导师）的设计是由关于身份形成、身份形成环境和社会网络角色的文献提供的。非白人学生没有选择STEM职业；社会经济地位低的学生获得的资源和技术有限，这些资源和技术可以帮助他们对STEM兴趣和职业产生想象，而这些年轻人中的许多人也缺少可以帮助他们设想自己在STEM职业中的榜样。该项目通过课后编程和在线虚拟对等网络（VPN）的发展，旨在帮助参与者将自己视为对科学感兴趣的人，重点关注未来科学家的发展。将图书馆作为促进stem身份形成的场所，将图书馆员作为导师，为将正式和非正式学习机会联系起来提供了一种新的、有前途的模式。

Researchers are seeking to understand the roles that school libraries, school librarians, and virtual peer networks (VPNs) can play in helping middle-school students become interested in STEM, imagine themselves in STEM careers, and see themselves as interested-in-science people. In four different schools, youngsters recruited by science teachers (those especially interested in science), English teachers (those especially interested in story telling and writing), and librarians (those who are especially inquisitive) are participating together in an after-school program to learn how to compose science-related stories and use a variety of media for that purpose. Members of each community support each other in writing and in learning. The software registers their "collaborators" and helps them keep track of the expertise of community members. Design of the socio-technical system (software, story-telling activities, mentors) is informed by the literature on identity formation, identity formation environments, and roles of social networking.Non-white students are not choosing STEM careers; low-socio-economic-status students have limited access to resources and technology that can help them have imaginations about STEM interests and careers, and many of these same youngsters are also missing role models who could help them envision themselves in STEM careers. This project focuses on development of future scientists through development of after-school programming and an on-line virtual peer network (VPN) aimed toward helping participants think about themselves as science-interested people. Focusing on libraries as a venue for promoting STEM-identity formation and librarians as mentors offers a new and promising model for connecting formal and informal learning opportunities.