Impact of Work-Based-Learning on Community College STEM Education and Careers

未来的工作岗位正在与西部大学合作开展一项研究项目，该项目将考察STEM基于工作的学习(WBL)在社区大学中的影响。研究人员将使用社会认知职业理论(SCCT)作为框架和混合方法设计，以调查以下研究问题：(1)学生参与者的差异和参与社区大学STEM基于工作的学习的动机；(2)社区大学STEM工作学习机会的结构及其与WBL最佳实践原则的一致性；(3)参与社区大学STEM工作学习对学生结果的影响，包括证书或副学士学位的完成、STEM的持续性和更广泛的参与。基本的假设是，WBL可能是一种解毒剂，可以解决负面的社会和文化信息、缺乏支持、无法获得在职STEM学习以及其他影响学生决定留在STEM的因素。本研究还将通过将SCCT应用于社区大学背景，为职业咨询研究做出贡献。研究人员将使用混合方法进行研究设计，使用佛罗里达州教育数据系统(FEDS)的数据分析两个队列(衰退和衰退后)，佛罗里达州两所社区大学的案例研究，以及案例研究学校注册的信息技术和工程技术学生的成绩单数据。研究样本预计将包括总共8,665名社区大学学生，其中1,500人参加过WBL课程。研究人员将使用联邦储备委员会的探索性和描述性多变量分析来回答有关WBL参与和影响的问题。WBL的案例研究将在佛罗里达州的两所社区大学进行，以收集有关学生如何了解WBL的数据，是什么影响了他们参加WBL的选择，WBL如何影响他们的自我效能和期望(根据SCCT)，以及WBL是否会改善学生的成绩。此外，他们将分析来自这些学院的现有数据，以探索WBL经历对学生完成学业和进入STEM职业生涯和四年制STEM学习计划的影响。这两所大学的面试样本将包括60名学生、6名管理人员、24名教职员工和48名雇主。研究人员将使用这些数据来测试乔布斯为未来制定的WBL中的最佳实践原则，作为社区大学的基准。该项目将SCCT应用于WBL，填补了有关SCCT的知识空白。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为是值得支持的。

Jobs for the Future is conducting a research project in collaboration with Wested that will examine the impact of STEM work-based-learning (WBL) in community colleges. The researchers will use social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as a framework and mixed-methods design to investigate research questions regarding (1) differences in student participants and motivation to participate in community college STEM work-based-learning, (2) structures of community college STEM WBL opportunities and their alignment to best practices principles in WBL, and (3) the impact of participating in community college STEM WBL on student outcomes, including certificate or associate's degree completion, persistence in STEM, and broadening participation. The underlying assumption is that WBL might serve as an antidote to negative social and cultural messages, lack of support, lack of access to on-the-job STEM learning, and other factors that influence students' decisions to remain in STEM. The study also will contribute to career counseling research through the application of the SCCT in the community college context. Researchers will use a mixed-methods research design that involves an analysis of two cohorts (recession and post-recession) using data from the Florida Education Data System (FEDS), case studies at two Florida community colleges, and transcript data for the information technology and engineering technology students enrolled at the case study schools. The study sample is expected to include a total of 8,665 community college students with 1,500 having participated in a WBL course. Researchers will use exploratory and descriptive multivariate analysis of FEDS to answer questions about WBL participation and impact. Case studies of WBL will be conducted at two Florida community colleges to collect data about how students learn about WBL, what influences their choice to participate in WBL, how WBL influences their self-efficacy and expectations (per SCCT), and perceptions of whether WBL improves student outcomes. In addition, they will analyze extant data from the colleges to explore the impact of WBL experiences on student completion and entrance into STEM careers and four-year STEM programs of study. The interview sample for both colleges will include 60 students, six administrators, 24 faculty, and 48 employers. The researchers will use the data to test the best practice principles in WBL developed by Jobs for the Future as bench marks for community colleges. The project fills a gap in the knowledge about SCCT by applying it to WBL. It also will shed new insights about WBL in the community college STEM context.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.