Building Capacity for Educational Assessment Research in Geography

该项目将使处于职业生涯中期的首席研究员获得成功构思和执行基础研究所需的教育研究专业知识，并有可能有意意地推进与地理评估相关的心理测量学和大规模数据分析方面的知识。首席研究员的个人专业发展计划包括导师和顾问委员会成员，他们将在整个奖励期间提供指导和反馈。具体而言，首席研究员将寻求增加以下领域的能力：(1)大规模数据操作；(2)界定和测量地理结构；(3)抽样和总体建模问题；(4)项目反应理论；(5)聚类评价数据集的统计分析方法；（六）数据分析专用软件包；(7)层次线性建模；(8)与成绩测试相关的认知诊断建模。为获得完成试点研究所需的专门知识，专业发展计划中的活动将通过特定主题的会议、讲习班、短期课程、研讨会、网络研讨会、指导和网络来获得。在心理测量理论的指导下，首席研究员将分析国家教育进步评估（NAEP）最近几届政府收集的地理数据，以解释不同学校社区青少年地理学习的模式。这一分析很重要，因为NAEP数据显示，少数族裔学生的地理成绩仍然在基础或基础以下。因此，首席研究员将研究所有年级地理成绩的可变性，这些数据与学生背景特征、学校背景属性和课堂学习机会有关。此外，还将对参与NAEP行政的教师和学校行政人员的调查数据进行分析。通过这个项目，首席研究员将获得在地理教育背景下规划、设计和开展教育评估和测量研究所需的专业知识，并为未来的干预奠定基础，使更多的少数民族学生在地理方面取得更高的水平。该项目通过EHR核心研究建设STEM教育研究能力竞赛得到支持，该竞赛旨在培养个人在STEM学习和学习环境中开展高质量基础STEM教育研究的能力，扩大STEM领域的参与，以及STEM劳动力的发展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This project will allow a mid-career principal investigator to acquire education research expertise needed to successfully conceive and execute fundamental research with the potential to meaningfully advance knowledge about psychometrics and large-scale data analysis as it relates to geography assessment. The principal investigator's individual professional development plan includes a mentor and advisory board members with expertise specific to this topic who will provide guidance and feedback throughout the award period. Specifically, the principal investigator will seek to increase capacity in the following areas: (1) large scale data operation; (2) defining and measuring geography constructs; (3) issues of sampling and population modeling; (4) item response theory; (5) statistical methodologies for analyzing clustered assessment datasets; (6) specialized software packages for analyzing data; (7) hierarchical linear modeling; and (8) cognitive diagnostic modeling relative to achievement testing. Activities in the professional development plan needed to gain required expertise to complete the pilot study will be obtained through subject-specific conferences, workshops, short courses, seminars, webinars, mentoring and networking. Guided by the psychometric measurement theory, the principal investigator will analyze geography data collected through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recent administrations to explain patterns of geographic learning among youth in diverse school communities. This analysis is important since NAEP data show that students from minority populations continue to score at or below basic in geography. Hence, the principal investigator will examine variability in geography achievement for all grade levels on which data are available relative to student background characteristics, school-level contextual attributes, and classroom opportunity to learn. Survey data from teachers and school administrators who participated in NAEP administrations will also be analyzed. Through this project, the principal investigator will gain expertise needed to plan, design, and conduct studies on educational assessment and measurement in the context of geography education and set the stage for future interventions to enable more minority students to achieve at higher levels in geography. The project is supported through the EHR Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research competition that is designed to build individuals' capacity to carry out high quality fundamental STEM education research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.