Collaborative Research: Designing for science learning in schools by leveraging participation and the power of place through community and citizen science.

目前科学教育的优先事项包括努力让学生参与科学推理，利用科学知识和实践来理解自然现象，并建设性地应对地方和全球挑战。该项目通过为小学生及其教师开发和测试基于场所的环境科学研究和监测计划来应对这些优先事项。学生将调查与森林健康有关的当地相关现象，如火灾管理和入侵物种。学生将收集和分析与资源管理问题相关的数据，并与社区科学家和利益相关者分享调查结果。该项目将开发和测试一个可复制和可适应的基于地点的教学模式，用于服务不足的农村人口的学校、地区和县。这个针对3-5年级学生和教师的早期设计和开发项目涉及两个主要目标：1）设计和实施一个以当地森林管理问题为重点的科学教育方案，以促进与社区有关的学习和机构，2）开展基于设计的研究，以确定有效的方法，让年轻学生参与有目的的数据收集和解释，并与当地利益相关者进行知情互动。这项研究包括15所综合公立学校和特许学校在12个学区在农村地区有有限的机会获得正式和非正式的科学学习机会，通常在城市中心。研究活动由两个研究问题指导：1）参与以学校为基础，社区参与，以地方为基础，以环境为重点的计划的学生在多大程度上和以何种方式发展环境科学机构？以及2）三个核心设计特征的哪些设计变化促进了学生的三个科学学习成果？中央设计的三个特点是：1）收集与地方相关的环境数据，2）将收集到的数据嵌入更大的数据集，促进意义的产生，3）社区参与，基于地方的项目和互动。一个基于设计的研究方法将被用来确定如何规划的设计变化影响学习。该项目将涉及三个设计周期，每个周期两年，并根据每个实施周期获得的见解进行调整。项目前和项目后的调查将用于跟踪学生环境科学机构（ESA）的变化，实地观察，与学生和教师的半结构化访谈，以及学生工作和文物的检查将用于收集用于回答研究问题的数据。发现研究PreK-12计划（DRK-12）旨在显着提高科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的preK-12学生和教师，通过研究和开发创新的资源，模型和工具。DRK-12项目中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究以及为拟议项目提供理论和经验依据的先前研究和开发工作的基础上。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进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Current priorities in science education include efforts to engage students in scientific reasoning and using the knowledge and practices of science to understand natural phenomena and constructively respond to local and global challenges. This project responds to these priorities by developing and testing a place-based environmental science research and monitoring program for elementary school students and their teachers. Students will investigate locally-relevant phenomena related to forest health, such as fire management and invasive species. The students will collect and analyze data related to resource management issues and share findings with community scientists and stakeholders. The project will develop and test a reproducible and adaptable place-based instructional model for schools, districts, and counties having underserved rural populations.This early stage design and development project for students and teachers of grades 3-5 addresses two major goals: 1) Design and implement a science education program focused on local forest management issues to promote community-relevant learning and agency, and 2) Conduct design-based research to identify effective approaches to engaging young students in purposeful data collection and interpretation, and informed interaction with local stakeholders. The study includes 15 comprehensive public schools and charter schools in 12 school districts in a rural region having limited access to the formal and informal science learning opportunities typically available in urban centers. Research activities are guided by two research questions: 1) To what extent and in what ways do students participating in a school-based, community-engaged, place-based, environmental-focused program develop environmental science agency? And 2) Which design variations of the three Central Design Features foster the three science learning outcomes for students? The three Central Desig Features are: 1) Collecting place-relevant environmental data, 2) Facilitated meaning-making with collected data embedded within larger data sets, and 3) Community-engaged, place-based projects and interactions. A design-based research approach will be used to determine how the planned design variations impact learning. The project will involve three design cycles of two-years each, with adjustments being based on insights gained during each implementation cycle. Pre- and post-program sureveys will be used to track changes in student environmental science agency (ESA), and field observations, semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, and examination of student work and artifacts will be used to gather data used to answer the research questions.The Discovery Research PreK-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. 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 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.