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)，显著提高K-12学龄前学生和教师的科学、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努力的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验证明。本项目将设计和开发一种新的K-12综合STEM教学课堂观察方案(STEM-OP)。STEM-OP将被开发用于K-12 STEM设置。虽然STEM一体化教育的重要性已经确立，但在一体化STEM教育的模式和有效方法方面仍存在分歧。这一问题因缺乏对综合STEM教与学敏感的观察协议而变得混乱，以便为研究新模式和战略的有效性提供信息。现有的工具并不是为在综合STEM学习环境中使用而开发的。STEM-OP将被设计为在各种情况下由多个利益攸关方有效使用。研究人员将受益于拥有STEM-OP，以便他们开展研究，并继续以各种方式改进STEM教育。现有的工具并不是为在综合STEM学习环境中使用而开发的。STEM-OP和相关的培训材料将通过一个公开的在线平台供其他教育利益攸关方使用，例如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的教学提供信息，目标是改善综合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将是一种在各种教育背景下使用的有效和可靠的工具。本研究将探索小学、初中和高中科学教师实施STEM一体化教学的不同方式。这项研究将阐明STEM教学在每个年级组中的性质，并为理解跨年级组的工程实践的学习进展提供信息。探索在一个单元的过程中STEM集成的性质如何每天变化的研究将提供关于STEM单元的不同顺序和轨迹的关键信息。研究综合STEM教学如何在整个教学单元中展开，将有助于在微观和宏观分析层面上理解综合STEM实践。STEM-OP和相关的培训材料将通过一个可公开获取的在线平台分发，供其他教育利益相关者使用，如K-12教师和地区管理人员。该平台包括培训手册和课堂视频，用于练习评分。该奖项反映了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。

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.