Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM Thinking for Young Dual Language Learners

支持年轻双语学习者的科学探究、兴趣和 STEM 思维

• 批准号: 1949266
• 负责人: Jessica Young
• 金额: $ 150万
• 依托单位: Education Development Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1949266&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Supporting; Science; Inquiry; Interest; STEM

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) knowledge and skills are essential for navigating the demands of life and work in the 21st century. Although all young children are curious and highly-motivated explorers and problem-solvers, children from marginalized communities, including Latinx Dual Language Learners (DLLs), face early and persistent opportunity gaps that limit their participation in the types of science experiences that support and sustain their early STEM dispositions, identities, and interests when schools and teachers do not recognize the STEM knowledge and practices of their families. In order to address this issue, formal and informal science learning settings must provide inclusive high-quality science and STEM experiences for young DLLs, their families, and teachers that honor the role of language in science inquiry and learning. This means centering family and community members as children’s STEM advocates and role models; creating and sustaining mutually respectful and responsive home-school-community STEM partnerships; building teachers’ capacity to create classroom cultures of inquiry that support English and home language development; and addressing the importance of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives in STEM education and the workforce. All of the important adults in children’s lives need to work together to nurture children’s STEM dispositions and confidence in ways that will spark and sustain their interests in pursuing future STEM opportunities. The Supporting Science Inquiry, Interest, and STEM Thinking for Young Dual Language Learners project will build knowledge about STEM learning systems for prekindergarten (PreK) Latinx DLLs through family, teacher, and community supports. The project is designed to increase PreK DLLs’ participation in high-quality, language-rich science inquiry that promotes their science/literacy learning and increases their STEM interest and self-confidence. In collaboration with the Connecticut Science Center and the Connecticut Consolidated School District of New Britain, this project led by the Education Development Center will bring innovative technologies and learning experiences that align with the district’s approach of guided play and family engagement as pathways to expanding STEM opportunities for PreK Latinx DLLs.The goals of the project are to: (1) increase DLL families’ perceptions of themselves as critical partners in their children’s science learning; (2) build PreK DLL teachers’ capacity to provide rich science/literacy experiences and partner with families; (3) increase children’s, families’, and teachers’ knowledge of STEM careers; and (4) improve PreK DLLs’ science, language, and literacy skills and their interest and self-confidence in doing science. The program includes collaborative parent/teacher workshops, Play Lab drop-in sessions, science/literacy kits and digital resources, coaching and professional learning communities, and STEM community helpers. Using an iterative research design approach, the project team will develop and refine each of the project components with input from families, teachers, and content experts and conduct a quasi-experimental design pilot study to assess how participation in project activities affects parents, teachers, and DLL PreK children. The project will contribute knowledge to the field about how inquiry-based, literacy-rich science increases DLLs’ cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. Research findings will provide an understanding of how families, teachers, and community members can collaborate in ways to enrich DLLs’ science inquiry. With its explicit focus on PreK DLLs, this project will broaden participation and provide potential for DLLs’ active participation in the STEM workforce of the future. It also has the potential to positively impact parents’ and teachers’ own sense of themselves as capable of doing, learning, and talking about science and STEM. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.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.

STEM（科学，技术，工程，数学）专业知识和技能对于在21世纪的生活和工作需求中至关重要。尽管所有幼儿都是好奇的探险探险家和解决问题的人，但来自边缘化社区的儿童，包括拉丁裔双语言学习者（DLL），面临早期和持久的机会差距，这些机会限制了他们参与他们在学校的早期茎，身份，身份和教师不认识他们的茎知识和态度的科学经验的类型上，这些科学经验的类型，并维持了他们的早期植物，以及他们的兴趣。为了解决这个问题，正式和非正式的科学学习环境必须为年轻的DLL，他们的家人以及尊重语言在科学探究和学习中的作用的年轻DLL和老师提供包容性的高质量科学和STEM经验。这意味着将家庭和社区成员居中作为儿童STEM的拥护者和榜样；建立和维持相互尊重和响应迅速的家庭学校社区STEM伙伴关系；建立教师创造教室文化的能力，以支持英语和家庭语言发展；并解决潜水员背景，文化和观点在STEM教育和劳动力中的重要性。儿童生活中的所有重要成年人都需要共同努力，以护理儿童的茎处置和信心，以激发和维持他们追求未来STEM机会的利益。年轻双语言学习者项目的支持科学询问，兴趣和STEM思维项目将通过家庭，教师和社区支持来建立有关prekindergarten（Prek）Latinx DLL的STEM学习系统的知识。该项目旨在提高Prek DLL的参与，以促进其科学/扫盲学习并增加其STEM兴趣和自信心。与康涅狄格州科学中心和康涅狄格州合并的新不列颠学区合作，由教育发展中心领导的该项目将带来创新的技术和学习经验，与该地区的有指导性游戏和家庭参与的方法保持一致，作为扩大Prek latinx dll的STEM机会的途径，该项目的stem机会是： （2）建立Prek DLL教师提供丰富的科学/识字经验并与家庭合作的能力； （3）增加儿童，家庭和老师对STEM职业的了解； （4）提高Prek DLL的科学，语言和扫盲技巧以及他们对科学的兴趣和自信心。该计划包括协作的父母/教师研讨会，播放实验室访问会议，科学/扫盲套件和数字资源，教练和专业学习社区以及STEM社区助手。使用迭代研究设计方法，项目团队将通过家庭，教师和内容专家的意见来开发和完善每个项目组成部分，并进行准实验设计试验研究，以评估参与项目活动如何影响父母，老师和DLL Prek孩子。该项目将向该领域贡献有关基于询问的，读写能力丰富的科学如何增加DLL的认知和非认知结果的知识。研究发现将对家庭，教师和社区成员如何以丰富DLLS的科学询问的方式进行理解。该项目明确地关注Prek DLL，将扩大参与度，并为DLLS积极参与未来的STEM劳动力提供潜力。它还有可能积极影响父母和老师对自己的意识，因为他们能够做，学习和谈论科学和茎。该项目由针对学生和教师（ITEST）计划的创新技术经验提供资金，该计划支持对实践，程序要素，上下文和流程的理解的项目，从而有助于增加。学生对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）以及信息与通信技术（ICT）职业的知识和兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估审查标准来评估，被认为是宝贵的支持。