Positioning Youth for Success in Science: Studying the Malleability and Impact of Computational Thinking for Science

作为计算机在STEM学科中强大创新和应用的结果，STEM C课程满足了对从早期年级到高中(K-12之前)的学生进行现实世界、跨学科和计算准备的迫切需求。该项目将推进计算STEM教与学的新的跨学科方法的研究和开发，这些方法将整合计算思维和科学学习领域。该项目将综合各种框架和计算思维的定义，以确定哪些方面最有利于青年未来的科学学习。由此产生的结构，科学计算思维(CT-S)将通过开发有效和可靠的评估进行审查，项目组将调查CT-S是否、为谁以及在什么情况下能够成功地获得近现代科学学习经验。研究结果将通过描述学生发展CT-S技能的不同方式以及CT-S对科学学习和培养STEM职业偏好的支持程度，为该领域做出贡献。这将为未来的课程和教学发展提供信息，以富有成效和支持性的方式整合计算思维和科学学习。该项目由STEM计算计划支持，该计划促进跨学科和跨学科方法的研究和开发，以整合科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教与学中的计算，为K-12年级的学生在正式和非正式环境中进行教与学。STEM C支持研究学生如何学习计算思维，以解决STEM领域的跨学科问题。CT-S的考试将嵌入新的下一代科学标准，技术丰富的中学科学课程，旨在支持计算思维的发展。研究计划包括阐明CT-S结构和相关的假设学习进度，以及开发嵌入三个不同科学主题的CT-S评估工具。这些工具将通过对学生的认知访谈、对试点反应的定性分析，以及与课程中使用的学生模拟日志的交叉验证来验证。本项目将使用这些工具对1300名中学生进行为期一年的多队列纵向研究，探索CT-S与学习和职业意识结果的关系，并识别不同亚组之间的差异。通过这项纵向研究收集的数据将通过两个分析模型进行分析。第一个相关模型将检验CT-S作为学习经验和科学内容学习过程中敬业度的预测因子。第二个研究使用HLM模型研究个体内部和个体之间的差异，以检验CT-S在中年级期间的变化。这项工作的结果将被分享，以告知专业人士、实践者和政策团体。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 a result of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, the STEM+C program addresses an urgent need for real-world, interdisciplinary, and computational preparation of students from the early grades through high school (preK-12). This project will advance research and development of new transdisciplinary approaches to computational STEM teaching and learning that will integrate the fields of computational thinking and science learning. The project will synthesize across frameworks and definitions of computational thinking to identify those aspects that best position youth for future science learning. The resulting construct, Computational Thinking for Science (CT-S) will be examined through the development of valid and reliable assessments, and the project team will investigate whether, for whom, and under what circumstances CT-S enables success in proximal science learning experiences. Findings will contribute to the field by describing the varied ways that students develop CT-S skill sets and the degree to which CT-S supports science learning and developing STEM career preferences. This will inform future curriculum and instructional development that integrates computational thinking and science learning in productive and supportive ways. This project is supported by the STEM + Computing Program that advances research and development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings. STEM+C supports research on how students learn to think computationally to solve interdisciplinary problems in the STEM fields.The examination of CT-S will be embedded in a new Next Generation Science Standards-aligned, technology rich middle school science curriculum aimed at supporting the development of computational thinking. The research plan includes articulation of the CT-S construct and associated hypothetical learning progression, and development of CT-S assessment instruments embedded in three different science topics. These instruments will be validated via cognitive interviews with students, qualitative analysis of the pilot responses, and cross validated with student logs of simulations used in the curriculum. The project will use these instruments to conduct a multi-cohort one year longitudinal study with 1300 middle school students, exploring the relationship of CT-S with learning and career awareness outcomes and identify variations between subgroups. Data gathered over this longitudinal study will be analyzed through two analytical models. The first correlational model will examine CT-S as a predictor of engagement during learning experiences and science content learning. The second explores variations within and across individuals using HLM models to examine how CT-S changes during the middle grade years. Outcomes of this work will be shared to inform professional, practioner, and policy communities.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.