Exploring the Efficacy of Engineering is Elementary (E4)

本项目是通过研究学生和教师两个层面的实施效果，来证明工科小学课程在理想条件下的有效性。这项研究中开发的严格证据水平对于支持基础工程课程具有重要的作用，这些课程是随着下一代科学标准上线并强调工程设计而需要的。本研究是一项随机对照试验，将教师分配给EIE课程教材或以反事实的条件，使用更标准设计的工程类课程教材。该项目研究课程使用对学生学习和教师使用课程的影响，以确定支持成功使用课程的核心要素。本研究考察了课程教材在不同情境下的实施情况，以更全面地了解课程教材的最佳使用条件，并阐明基于项目的探究教材的哪些方面最支持学生的学习。本研究采用随机整群试验，对75所试验组学校和75所对照组学校的EIE课程的有效性进行了检验。每所学校有两名教师被纳入一种治疗/控制条件。对学生的结果测量包括在特定于项目的测量上的表现，这些测量已经过有效性和可靠性的技术质量检查。还使用了一套额外的基于研究的调查工具，用于收集关于学生对科学和工程的态度、认知、兴趣和动机的数据，这些工具经过了EIE环境的验证。正在实施一项可靠的落实情况研究计划，其中将包括教师调查、事前和事后评估、教师日志以及学生工程日记和课堂实施过程中的学生工作。本研究通过课堂观察和访谈的方式，对40名处理教师和10名对照教师的实施忠诚度进行了进一步的研究。本研究的发现对如何在小学阶段开发和实施工程设计课程具有广泛的借鉴意义。小学课堂上没有强调工程设计，落后于教师更熟悉的科学教学。这项研究的结果让从业者和政策制定者了解什么对谁有效，在什么条件下有效。关于课程实施的不同背景的信息支持传播循证研究和开发做法，以加强所有学生的STEM学习。

This project is developing evidence about the efficacy of the Engineering is Elementary curriculum under ideal conditions by studying the student and teacher-level effects of implementation. The rigorous level of evidence that is developed in this study has significant utility as a support for the kinds of elementary engineering curricula that are needed as the Next Generation Science Standards come online and emphasize engineering design. The study is a randomized control trial where the assignment of teachers will be to the EiE curricular materials or to a counterfactual condition, the use of more standard design engineering curricular materials. The project studies the impact of the use of the curriculum on student learning and on teachers' use of the curriculum in a fidelity of implementation study to determine the core elements of the curriculum that support successful use. The study examines the implementation of the curricular materials in a number of contexts to more fully understand the conditions under which they work best and to explicate what aspects of such project-based inquiry materials most support student learning.This study uses a randomized cluster trial to examine the efficacy of the EiE curriculum across 75 schools in the treatment and 75 schools in the control group samples. Two teachers per school are included in one treatment/control condition per school. Outcome measures for students include performances on project-specific measures that have been examined for technical quality of validity and reliability. A set of additional research-based survey instruments validated for use in the EiE context are also used to collect data about students' attitudes, perceptions, interest and motivation toward science and engineering. A robust fidelity of implementation research plan is being implemented that will include teachers surveys, pre and post assessments, teacher logs, as well as student engineering journals and student work from classroom implementation. The fidelity of implementation is further studied with forty treatment and ten control teachers through classroom observations and interviews.The findings from this study have broad implications for how engineering design curricular can be developed and implemented at the elementary level. Engineering design has not been emphasized in the elementary classroom, lagging behind instruction in science with which teachers are more familiar. The results of this study inform practitioners and policy makers about what works, for whom and under what conditions. Information about the different contexts in which the curriculum has been implemented supports the dissemination of evidence-based research and development practices to strengthen STEM learning for all students.