Collaborative Research: Design and Development of a K-12 STEM Observation Protocol

探索研究K-12计划（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具（RMT），显着提高学前班学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议项目提供了理论和经验依据。该项目将设计和开发一个新的K-12课堂观察协议，用于综合STEM教学（STEM-OP）。将开发STEM-OP用于K-12 STEM设置。虽然综合STEM教育的重要性已经确立，但对于综合STEM教学的模式和有效方法仍然存在分歧。这个问题是混淆的观察协议缺乏敏感的综合STEM教学和学习，以通知研究新的模式和战略的有效性。现有的工具没有开发用于综合STEM学习环境。科学、技术、工程和管理业务方案将被设计为供多个利益攸关方在各种情况下有效使用。研究人员将受益于STEM-OP可供他们进行研究，并继续以各种方式改善STEM教育。现有的工具没有开发用于综合STEM学习环境。 STEM-OP和相关培训材料将通过公开的在线平台提供给其他教育利益相关者，如K-12教师和地区行政人员。简而言之，STEM-OP将在许多情况下为综合STEM教学提供信息，以改善综合STEM教育。该项目的主要产品是新的观察协议，称为STEM-OP，适用于实施综合STEM课程的K-12教室。该项目将使用500多个综合STEM课堂视频来设计STEM-OP。使用探索性和验证性因素分析，STEM-OP将是一个有效和可靠的工具，可用于各种教育环境。本研究将探讨小学，初中和高中科学教师制定综合STEM教学的不同方式。这项研究将揭示在这些年级段的STEM教学的性质，并提供信息建设对跨年级段的工程实践的学习进展的理解。探索STEM整合的性质如何在一个单元的过程中日复一日地变化的研究将提供有关STEM单元的不同排序和轨迹的关键信息。研究如何综合STEM教学展开一个完整的教学单元将告知综合STEM实践的理解在微观和宏观层面的分析。STEM-OP和相关培训材料将通过公开提供的方式提供给其他教育利益相关者，如K-12教师和地区行政人员，这些材料将通过公开提供的方式分发，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. This project will design and develop a new K-12 classroom observation protocol for integrated STEM instruction (STEM-OP). The STEM-OP will be developed for use in K-12 STEM settings. While the importance of integrated STEM education is established, there remains disagreement on models and effective approaches for integrated STEM instruction. This issue is confounded by the lack of observation protocols sensitive to integrated STEM teaching and learning to inform research to the effectiveness of new models and strategies. Existing instruments were not developed for use in integrated STEM learning environments. The STEM-OP will be designed to be used effectively by multiple stakeholders in a variety of contexts. Researchers will benefit from having the STEM-OP available for them to carry out research and continue to improve STEM education in a variety of ways. Existing instruments were not developed for use in integrated STEM learning environments. The STEM-OP and associated training materials will be available for use by other education stakeholders, such as K-12 teachers and district administrators, through a publicly available online platform. In brief, the STEM-OP will inform the instruction of integrated STEM in many contexts with the goal of improving integrated STEM education.The primary product of this project is the new observation protocol called STEM-OP for K-12 classrooms implementing integrated STEM lessons. The project will use over 500 integrated STEM classroom videos to design the STEM-OP. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the STEM-OP will be a valid and reliable instrument for use in a variety of educational contexts. The research will explore the different ways that elementary, middle, and high school science teachers enact integrated STEM instruction. This study will shed light on the nature of STEM instruction in each of these grade bands and provide information building towards an understanding of learning progressions for engineering practices across grade bands. Research exploring how the nature of STEM integration changes from day to day over the course of a unit will provide critical information about the different sequencing and trajectories of STEM units. Examining how integrated STEM instruction unfolds over a full unit of instruction will inform the understanding of integrated STEM practices at both micro- and macro- levels of analysis. The STEM-OP and associated training materials will be available for use by other education stakeholders, such as K-12 teachers and district administrators, through a publicly available, which will be distributed via a publicly available, online platform that includes a training manual and classroom video for practice scoring.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.