CAREER: Leveraging neuroscience to predict and improve science learning in early elementary school

至关重要的是，所有美国儿童，无论其社会经济背景如何，都要准备好加入未来的科学大军。先前的研究表明，在科学和数学方面有一个良好的早期开端对以后的学业成功至关重要。这项研究结合了神经科学、心理学和教育学的创新方法，以预测和改善小学早期的科学学习，那时基础科学知识和技能正在开始建立。这项研究的重点是了解早期经历如何塑造大脑，以及大脑发育如何支持学习，这可以被用来个性化教育干预并产生新的战略，以扩大对STEM的参与。该项目通过EHR核心研究(ECR)计划获得职业奖励，该计划支持STEM学习的基础研究。该项目涉及三项研究，将通过研究早期科学学习的认知和行为预测因素来调查早期科学学习，并将使用结构和功能磁共振成像(MRI)来研究神经网络。在第一项研究中，144名年龄在5岁到7岁之间的儿童将从低收入社区的学校和课外项目中招募。孩子们将参加核磁共振成像和认知评估，以及八门旨在与下一代科学标准保持一致的科学课程。家长将完成关于孩子早期经历的问卷调查。这项研究将测试压力和认知丰富是否与学习、记忆和动机系统的发展有关，以及这些神经系统的连通性是否预示着科学学习。在另一项纵向研究中，来自低收入家庭的200名两岁儿童将被随机分配到一项干预措施中，其中包括每周一次由早期学习专家进行家访，或者接受包括身体健康信息的对照条件。在这项研究的第一年，父母将完成关于他们孩子的经历和发展的问卷调查。在接下来的几年里，孩子们将完成认知测量和核磁共振检查，并参加科学课程。这一纵向设计将使研究人员能够评估早期认知丰富是否会因果地影响大脑中的学习、记忆和动机系统，以及儿童在幼儿园学习科学的能力。最后一项实验研究将调查具体的教学方法对促进儿童学习的效果。这项研究将考察鼓励儿童提问是否会改善他们的学习和好奇心的其他行为方面。总而言之，这些研究将提供关于如何最好地支持儿童早期科学学习的见解，这些见解将通过与社区组织的合作伙伴关系与家长和教育工作者分享。该奖项反映了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。

It is critically important that all U.S. children, regardless of socioeconomic background, are prepared to join the scientific workforce of the future. Prior research shows that having a strong early start in science and math is crucial to later academic success. This study combines innovative approaches in neuroscience, psychology, and education to predict and improve science learning in early elementary school, when foundational scientific knowledge and skills are beginning to be built. This research focuses on understanding how early experiences shape the brain, and how brain development supports learning, which can be leveraged to individualize educational interventions and generate new strategies for broadening participation in STEM. The project is supported by a CAREER award through the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports fundamental research on STEM learning.The project involves three studies that will investigate early science learning by studying cognitive and behavioral predictors of early science learning and will use structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study neural networks. In the first study, 144 children between the ages of five- and seven-years-old will be recruited from schools and after-school programs in low-income neighborhoods. Children will participate in MRI and cognitive assessments, as well as eight science lessons designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards. Parents will complete questionnaires about children’s early experiences. The study will test whether exposures to stress and cognitive enrichment are associated with the development of learning, memory, and motivation systems, and whether connectivity in these neural systems predicts science learning. In a separate longitudinal study, 200 two-year-old children from low-income families will be randomly assigned to an intervention that includes weekly home visiting by an early learning specialist or to a control condition that includes information about physical health. In the first year of this study, parents will complete questionnaires about their children’s experiences and development. In the subsequent years of the study, children will complete cognitive measures and MRI and participate in science lessons. This longitudinal design will allow the researchers to assess whether early cognitive enrichment causally influences learning, memory, and motivation systems in the brain, as well as children’s ability to learn science in Kindergarten. A final experimental study will investigate the efficacy of specific pedagogical approaches for enhancing children’s learning. The study will examine whether encouraging children to ask questions improves their learning and other behavioral aspects of curiosity. Together, these studies will provide insights into how to best support children’s early science learning, which will be shared with parents and educators through partnerships with community organizations.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.