Collaborative Research: Influencing Millennial Science Engagement

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划寻求促进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和发展的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。这个发展中的创新项目将根据兴趣、动机、认同和价值观在动态的媒体环境中吸引不同的千禧一代受众所起的作用来研究和制作科学媒体。利用基于设计的研究方法，项目团队将开发千禧年科学媒体参与概况(一组描述以不同方式与科学媒体接触的不同受众类型的类别)。它将为千禧一代设计和测试科学媒体内容(文本、音频、图形、视频)、位置和平台使用情况；并围绕科学媒体讲故事和引发兴趣和参与的外联策略得出结论，这些都是学习的先导。更广泛的影响包括贡献关于千禧一代的重要新知识，当他们处于人生做出关键职业决策的阶段时，对科学的兴趣和参与。它还将为其他科学媒体制作人提供一个模式，提供新的协议，为这一特定受众创建有针对性的数字媒体。进一步的影响包括通过社交媒体接触到大量的全国受众。该项目是KQED与德克萨斯理工大学的研究人员合作完成的。研究将聚焦于“千禧一代”科学消费者的独特体验和兴趣。它建立在之前资助的一项全国调查和一系列焦点小组的基础上，千禧一代关注他们对科学媒体的偏好与其他几代人的对比。根据这些调查结果，该项目将根据两个因素建立千禧一代受众的概况：科学好奇心程度和科学媒体参与度。研究人员将使用之前经过验证的科学好奇心量表。《千禧一代概况》将通过两种方式进行验证：通过基于表现的调查问题和通过使用现有数字分析工具的互联网受众行为分析。KQED将制作不同的科学媒体内容，并将其发送给进行A/B测试的特定小组，以验证在线个人资料。个人资料假设将继续进行测试，直到团队能够有效地预测不同个人资料组喜欢的科学内容的种类。这项研究将使用在其他领域使用的研究协议，以弥合实验室和现实世界之间的差距。该协议包括四个步骤：初始假设开发；事前实验模拟；真实世界交流；事后实验模拟。在个人资料验证之后，该协议将被用于测试新的KQED科学内容的有效性，测试影响千禧年参与的变量。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. This Innovations in Development project will research and produce science media based on the role that interest, motivations, identify, and values play in engaging diverse, millennial audiences in a dynamic media environment. Using a design-based research approach the project team will develop Millennial Science Media Engagement Profiles (a set of categories describing different audience types who engage with science media in different ways). It will design and test science media content (text, audio, graphics, video), placement and platform use for millennials; and make conclusions around science media storytelling and outreach tactics that spark interest and engagement, the precursors to learning. Broader impacts include contributing significant new knowledge about millennials interest and engagement in science while they are at a stage in life making critical career decisions. It will also provide a model for other science media producers providing new protocols for creating targeted digital media for this specific audience. And further impacts include reaching a large national audience through social media. The project is a collaboration between KQED and researchers at Texas Tech.The research will focus on the distinctive experience and interest of "millennial" science consumers. It builds on a previously funded national survey and series of focus groups with millennials looking at their science media preferences versus other generations. With these survey results this project will build profiles of millennial audiences based on two factors: level of science curiosity and level of science media engagement. The researchers will use a previously validated Science Curiosity Scale. The Millennial Profiles will be validated in two ways: through performance-based survey questions and through internet audience behavior analysis using existing digital analysis tools. KQED will produce different science media content and send it to certain groups conducting A/B testing to validate profiles online. The profile assumptions will continue to be tested until the team can effectively predict the kinds of science content that different profile groups prefer. The research will use a study protocol used in other domains to bridge the gap between lab and real-world settings. The protocol involves four steps: initial hypothesis development; ante experimental simulation; real-world communication; and ex post experimental simulations. Following the profile validation, the protocol will be used to test the efficacy of new KQED Science content, testing the variables that contribute to millennial engagement.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.