权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

Adaptive Training of Representational Flexibility for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

自闭症谱系障碍青少年表征灵活性的适应性训练

基本信息

批准号：
1837917
负责人：
Fengfeng Ke
金额：
$ 29.93万
依托单位：
Florida State University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2018-08-15 至 2020-07-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1837917&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Adaptive Training Representational Flexibility Adolescents

项目摘要

Cognitive representational flexibility is the ability to use multiple external representations, switch flexibly between them, and select or generate appropriate representations for particular tasks. This cognitive capability is critical for the practices of computational thinking and problem solving across STEM and computing domains. However, the development and enactment of representational flexibility in cognitive processes is effortful and demanding for most learners, but particularly so for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Evidence suggests that students with ASD enrolling in colleges are more likely than members of the general population or other disability groups to gravitate toward STEM-related majors, but their need for training in representational flexibility has been identified as a barrier to their college enrollment. This project aims to study individualized training of representational flexibility for STEM and computational reasoning and problem solving among adolescents with ASD, hence addressing a significant barrier to college enrollment of this learner group who otherwise have the potential to become future sources of STEM talent. Researchers will utilize 3D virtual reality (VR) with body sensory technologies to create an adaptive, representational flexibility training program that helps participants learn how to design and code simulations and games in a 3D virtual-reality context. This program, called Force and Motion-Adaptive Representation (FM-AR), will facilitate participants' ability to select, connect, convert, and construct multimodal representations of physics and mathematics problems while practicing and experimenting with computational concepts during VR-based simulation design and programming. As a result of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, the STEM+C program supports research and development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within STEM teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings. This interdisciplinary project will advance the research and practice of STEM+Computing education by investigating representational flexibility as the critical threshold for integrating computational thinking in and across STEM domains, and specifying the conditions that lead to the development and manifestation of representational flexibility, especially for learners with special needs. Via a design-based, mixed-method research of the computational behaviors of adolescents with ASD and their learning outcomes in the FM-AR program, the following research questions will be investigated: 1. What representational practices will adolescents with ASD implement during FM-AR-supported simulation design and programming? 2. How and under what circumstances will adolescents with ASD demonstrate representational flexibility for computational reasoning and scientific/mathematical problem solving? 3. How will adolescents with ASD interact with adaptive representational-practice support in FM-AR? What is the effect of the adaptive support on participants? development of representational flexibility during physics- and math-related computational practices? Researchers will study the above research questions with (a) individualized selection and presentation of representational-practice tasks in variant types and flexibility demands; (b) representational performance assessment via real-time learner data mining and modeling; and (c) assessment-driven cues and prompts to scaffold representation interpretation, comparison, coordination, and adaptation during physics- and mathematics-related computational practices. This project aims to generate a conceptual and design framework governing the design and research of a STEM+Computing learning environment that scaffolds representational flexibility for a heterogeneous learner group.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.

认知表征灵活性是指使用多种外部表征，在它们之间灵活切换，并为特定任务选择或生成适当表征的能力。这种认知能力对于跨STEM和计算领域的计算思维和问题解决的实践至关重要。然而，认知过程中表征灵活性的发展和实施对大多数学习者来说是费力和困难的，尤其是对患有自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的学生来说。有证据表明，与普通人群或其他残疾群体相比，自闭症患者更有可能被STEM相关专业吸引，但他们对表象灵活性培训的需求已被认为是他们进入大学的障碍。该项目旨在研究对患有自闭症的青少年进行表征灵活性以及计算推理和问题解决的个性化培训，从而解决这一学习群体进入大学的重大障碍，否则他们有可能成为未来的STEM人才来源。研究人员将利用3D虚拟现实(VR)和身体感觉技术来创建一个适应性、表象灵活性培训计划，帮助参与者学习如何在3D虚拟现实环境中设计和编写模拟和游戏。这一计划被称为力和运动自适应表示(FM-AR)，将促进参与者在基于VR的仿真设计和编程期间练习和实验计算概念的同时，选择、连接、转换和构建物理和数学问题的多模式表示的能力。作为STEM学科中强大的计算创新和应用的结果，STEM+C计划支持研究和开发跨学科和跨学科的方法，将计算整合到STEM教与学中，供K-12预科学生在正式和非正式环境中使用。这一跨学科项目将推动STEM+计算教育的研究和实践，调查表征灵活性作为整合STEM领域内和跨STEM领域计算思维的关键门槛，并明确导致表征灵活性发展和表现的条件，特别是对于有特殊需求的学习者。通过一项基于设计的混合方法研究自闭症青少年的计算行为及其在FM-AR项目中的学习结果，将调查以下研究问题：1.在FM-AR支持的模拟设计和编程过程中，自闭症青少年将实施哪些表征实践？2.自闭症青少年将如何以及在什么情况下表现出计算推理和科学/数学问题解决的表征灵活性？3.自闭症青少年将如何与FM-AR中适应性表征支持互动？适应性支持对参与者有什么影响？在与物理和数学相关的计算实践中发展表征灵活性？研究人员将通过(A)不同类型和灵活性需求的表征实践任务的个性化选择和呈现；(B)通过实时学习者数据挖掘和建模进行表征绩效评估；以及(C)在与物理和数学相关的计算实践中以评估为导向的线索和提示，以支架表征的解释、比较、协调和适应来研究上述研究问题。这个项目旨在生成一个概念和设计框架，管理STEM+计算学习环境的设计和研究，为不同的学习者群体提供表征灵活性。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。