A Capacity Building Project to Advance Research on Girls' Math Identity: Improving STEM Learning and Broadening Participation

家庭健康国际360的教育公平中心、IMPAQ国际和纽约科学院将合作实施一个为期三年的教育研究能力建设项目，以支持推进中学女生数学认同研究所需的基础工作。重点将放在4-8年级的女孩身上，这是她们面临从小学到中学和从初中到高中过渡的关键年份。这一努力最终将为改善女孩的数学学习奠定基础，并扩大她们对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教育和职业的参与。该项目将涉及EHR核心研究计划确定的四个核心领域中的两个：STEM学习和扩大STEM的参与。该项目基于两个关键概念：女孩的数学认同对她们参与STEM和坚持STEM的重要性；以及通过建立网络改进社区(NIC)建立研究人员和实践者网络的重要性，以增加对女孩数学认同的理解和知识。在学术认同和成就的更大背景下，数学认同是一个重要的因素。重视自己心智的力量--他们的学术身份--的学生也为属于他们的学习社区而感到自豪；他们乐于发言并积极参与该社区的学习；并通过他们作为彼此的学习者和教师参与到学习社区的建设中来为学习社区的建设做出贡献(Snipes，Fancsali&Amp；Stoker，2012)。关于女孩数学认同感发展的现有文献也指出了课堂作为学习者社区的重要性，以及需要创造学习环境来培养自我效能感和代理能力，这是由对学科的掌握所支持的(Boaler，2002；Bevan，2011；Boaler，William&Amp；Zevenbergen，2000)。该项目将把跨学科的研究人员和实践者聚集在一起，通过建立网络改进社区(NIC)和举办研究人员和实践者的混合在线和面对面会议，确定围绕女孩数学认同的共同研究目标和优先事项。NIC将采取以问题为中心的方法，为改善STEM学习和扩大女孩参与STEM教育和职业的任务带来必要的专业知识、承诺和社会安排。研究生和新兴研究人员将参加会议，成为NIC的一部分，并成为未来工作的潜在合作者。虽然该项目的主要重点是研究，但参与的实践者将确保这一领域的研究与改进正式和非正式实践有直接联系。作为这项工作的结果，受资助者和新成立的NIC将：建立关于女孩数学身份的知识库；发展一个新的研究人员和实践者网络；形成新的合作，以撰写文章、制定建议和发表演讲；并创建一个议程来指导新的研究。

The Educational Equity Center at Family Health International 360, IMPAQ International, and the New York Academy of Sciences will partner to implement a three-year education research capacity-building project to support the groundwork necessary to advance research on middle school girls' math identity. The focus will be on girls in grades 4-8, critical years when they face transitions from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. This effort will ultimately lay the foundation for improving math learning for girls and expand their participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. The project will address two of the four core areas identified by the EHR Core Research program: STEM Learning and Broadening Participation in STEM.The project is based on two key concepts: the importance of girls' math identity to their participation and persistence in STEM; and the importance of building a network of researchers and practitioners through the establishment of a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) to increase understanding and knowledge about girls' math identity. Math identity is an important element within the larger context of academic identity and achievement. Students who value the power of their minds--their academic identity--also take pride in belonging to their learning community; are comfortable speaking up and actively engaging in the learning that takes place in that community; and contribute to the building of a learning community through their engagement as learners and teachers of each other (Snipes, Fancsali & Stoker, 2012). The existing literature on the development of girls' math identity also states the importance of the classroom as a community of learners and the need to create learning environments that foster self-efficacy and agency which is supported by mastery of the subject matter (Boaler, 2002; Bevan, 2011; Boaler, William & Zevenbergen, 2000). This project will bring interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners together to define common research goals and priorities around girls' math identity by establishing a Network Improvement Community (NIC) and holding a hybrid on-line and in-person conference of researchers and practitioners. The NIC will take a problem-centered approach, bringing necessary expertise, commitment, and a social arrangement to the task of improving STEM learning and broadening girls' participation in STEM education and careers. Graduate students and emerging researchers will participate in the conference and become part of the NIC and potential collaborators on future work. Although the primary focus of the project is research, participating practitioners will ensure that research in this area has a direct link to the improvement of formal and informal practice. As a result of this work, the grantees and the newly established NIC will: build the knowledge base about girls' math identity; develop a new network of researchers and practitioners; form new collaborations to write articles, develop proposals and make presentations; and create an agenda to guide new research.