Collaborative Research: Pushing Students Away: Developing a Research Agenda for Broadening Participation of African Americans in Engineering and Computer Science

合作研究：将学生拒之门外：制定扩大非裔美国人对工程和计算机科学参与的研究议程

• 批准号: 1926935
• 负责人: Jeremi London
• 金额: $ 12.76万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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: 2018-10-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1926935&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Pushing; Students; Away

While there have been substantial initiatives designed to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups, producing a diverse workforce is unlikely if the country continues to lose them at each of the major junctures along the education-to-workforce pathway: K-12 education, undergraduate education, graduate education, and workforce. While researchers have published numerous studies on underrepresented groups over the past four decades, trends have not significantly improved, suggesting a disconnection between research and practice and a greater need to investigate the issue of broadening participation at every major segment throughout the education-to-workforce pathway. As a result, the investigators propose to conduct a research project that critically examines the Innovation Cycle of Educational Practice and Research as it relates to broadening participation in engineering and computer science. This study will advance our understanding of the disconnect between research and practice, identify barriers to progress, and set a national agenda for broadening the participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science. The agenda will unify the current literature on this topic, frame key issues, and pose significant questions around the development of a diverse engineering workforce. Aligned with current NSF broaden participation interests and priorities, this agenda will provide: (1) researchers with a backdrop for identifying problems that can be investigated empirically; and (2) practitioners with practical strategies for addressing barriers present in their local context. The research design, guiding this study, will enable us to synthesize the plethora of existing recommendations, while obtaining feedback from researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders alike. The research design will also serve as a model for subsequent studies on broadening the participation of other underrepresented groups in STEM. Further, to readjust current practices for addressing this persistent problem and figure out what is pushing students away, this project involves systematically reviewing the theoretical and scientific literature on barriers to participating and proposing new solutions for each juncture of the education-to-workforce pathway; interviewing subject-matter experts (n=60) to discuss their professional experiences regarding broadening the participation of African Americans and what can be done to gain momentum in African Americans participation in engineering; and conducting a Delphi study (n=20) to reach consensus on the key issues and gaps in our understanding, significant questions, and breakdowns in the Innovation Cycle of Educational Practice and Research. This project will produce the following outcomes: (1) a literature review synthesizing and highlighting the current state of research and practice on broadening the participation of African Americans and an Innovation Cycle of Broadening Participation; (2) a conceptual model that depicts the current relationship between research and practice in this context; and (3) an outline of a national agenda for coordinating the efforts of stakeholders committed to broadening participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science.

尽管已经采取了旨在扩大代表性不足群体的参与的实质性举措，但如果国家继续在教育到劳动力路径的每个主要关口（K-12教育、本科教育、研究生教育和劳动力）失去多元化的劳动力，那么就不太可能培养多元化的劳动力。尽管研究人员在过去四十年发表了大量关于代表性不足群体的研究，但趋势并没有显着改善，这表明研究与实践之间存在脱节，并且更需要调查在整个教育到劳动力途径的每个主要部分扩大参与的问题。因此，研究人员建议开展一个研究项目，严格审查教育实践和研究的创新周期，因为它与扩大工程和计算机科学的参与有关。这项研究将增进我们对研究与实践之间脱节的理解，找出进步的障碍，并制定扩大非裔美国人在工程和计算机科学领域参与的国家议程。该议程将统一有关该主题的当前文献，框架关键问题，并围绕多元化工程队伍的发展提出重大问题。与当前 NSF 扩大参与兴趣和优先事项相一致，该议程将提供：（1）研究人员提供识别可实证研究问题的背景； (2) 具有解决当地环境中存在的障碍的实用策略的从业者。指导这项研究的研究设计将使我们能够综合大量现有建议，同时获得研究人员、从业者和其他利益相关者的反馈。该研究设计还将作为后续研究的模型，以扩大其他代表性不足群体对 STEM 的参与。此外，为了重新调整当前的做法以解决这一持续存在的问题，并找出是什么让学生望而却步，该项目涉及系统地回顾有关参与障碍的理论和科学文献，并为教育到劳动力途径的每个关口提出新的解决方案；采访主题专家（n=60），讨论他们在扩大非裔美国人参与方面的专业经验，以及可以采取哪些措施来推动非裔美国人参与工程；进行德尔菲研究（n=20），以就我们理解中的关键问题和差距、重大问题以及教育实践和研究创新周期的故障达成共识。该项目将产生以下成果：（1）文献综述，综合并强调扩大非裔美国人的参与和扩大参与的创新周期的研究和实践的现状； (2) 描述当前研究与实践之间关系的概念模型； (3) 一份国家议程大纲，用于协调致力于扩大非裔美国人对工程和计算机科学参与的利益相关者的努力。

项目成果

A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING OF SCHOLARSHIP ON BROADENING PARTICIPATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

扩大非裔美国人参与工程和计算机科学的奖学金系统规划

• DOI: 10.1615/jwomenminorscieneng.2020027889
• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
• 作者: London, Jeremi S.;Lee, Walter C.;Phillips, Canek;Van Epps, Amy S.;Watford, Bevlee A.
• 通讯作者: Watford, Bevlee A.