A Quantitative Meta-Analysis and Qualitative Synthesis on the Impacts of Informal STEM and ICT Programs on Cognitive and Socio-emotional Outcomes of Youth Participants

关于非正式 STEM 和 ICT 项目对青年参与者认知和社会情感结果影响的定量荟萃分析和定性综合

• 批准号: 2048544
• 负责人: Mande Holford
• 金额: $ 29.91万
• 依托单位: CUNY Hunter College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-06-01 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2048544&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Quantitative; Meta; Analysis; Qualitative; Synthesis

As the pace of innovation accelerates, the need for technology-rich experiences and pathways to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) careers has become increasingly essential. Thus, a critical challenge faced by educators is to develop strategies that provide youth access to high quality STEM and ICT programs, and that motivate them to persist in STEM trajectories. Alarmingly, data suggest that positive STEM attitudes, especially among females and members of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, tend to decline as youth transition from elementary to middle school and again from middle school to high school. Promisingly, informal STEM learning programs are thought to be important vehicles for addressing issues of underrepresentation, declining interest, and for facilitating sustained participation in STEM and ICT trajectories. However, it is largely unknown how and to what extent informal learning programs impact participants’ awareness, interest, and engagement in STEM and ICT majors and careers. To address this knowledge gap, this synthesis project will investigate the impact of informal STEM and ICT programs on the cognitive and social emotional outcomes of youth participants. Importantly, this synthesis study differs from many other quantitative analyses and qualitative syntheses because one of the major goals of this project is to extract program design principles, technology-based innovations, theoretical underpinnings, and best practices from studies that exhibit exemplary evidence of rigorous research design and impact. 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 STEM and ICT careers. The goal of this synthesis study is to perform a quantitative meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis of research on youth participants of informal STEM and ICT programs. The project addresses two major research questions: (1) How and to what extent do informal, out-of-school time STEM and ICT learning experiences impact participants’ awareness, interest and engagement in STEM majors and careers? (2) What are the program design principles, technology-based innovations, theoretical underpinnings, and best practices of rigorously designed informal, out-of-school time STEM and ICT programs that exhibit exemplary evidence of impact that can be adopted by STEM practitioners to maximize impact and broaden participation of underrepresented groups? To address the two main research questions, first, the project team will perform a systematic literature review and a quantitative meta-analysis to assess how and to what extent informal STEM and ICT learning experiences impact participants’ awareness, interest, and engagement in STEM majors and careers. Second, the project team will use two validated rubrics to identify studies that exhibit exemplary evidence of research design quality and impact. From these studies, the team will conduct qualitative analyses to identify program design principles, technology-based innovations, theoretical underpinnings, and best practices for adoption by STEM practitioners to maximize impact and broaden participation of underrepresented groups. By focusing on programs with exemplary evidence of impact that specifically target females, underserved populations, and members of historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, the findings can be used by practitioners to inform program design and practice, and to maximize the impact of underrepresented students. The deliverables of this project will include peer-reviewed publications, webinars, and conference presentations to ensure that the results of this study are disseminated to the science education community.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.

随着创新步伐的加快，对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）以及信息和通信技术（ICT）职业的技术丰富经验和途径的需求变得越来越重要。因此，教育工作者面临的一个关键挑战是制定战略，为青年提供高质量的STEM和ICT项目，并激励他们坚持STEM轨迹。令人担忧的是，数据表明，随着年轻人从小学过渡到中学，再从中学过渡到高中，积极的STEM态度，特别是在女性和历史上代表性不足的种族和族裔群体中，往往会下降。有希望的是，非正式的STEM学习计划被认为是解决代表性不足，兴趣下降，促进持续参与STEM和ICT轨迹问题的重要工具。然而，它在很大程度上是未知的非正式学习计划如何以及在多大程度上影响参与者的意识，兴趣和参与STEM和ICT专业和职业。为了解决这一知识差距，这个综合项目将调查非正式的STEM和ICT项目对青年参与者的认知和社会情感结果的影响。重要的是，这项综合研究不同于许多其他定量分析和定性综合，因为该项目的主要目标之一是从展示严格研究设计和影响的示例性证据的研究中提取程序设计原则，基于技术的创新，理论基础和最佳实践。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划资助，该计划支持建立对实践，计划要素，背景和过程的理解的项目，有助于增加学生对STEM和ICT职业的知识和兴趣。本综合研究的目标是对非正式STEM和ICT项目的青年参与者进行定量荟萃分析和定性综合研究。该项目解决了两个主要的研究问题：（1）非正式的、校外的STEM和ICT学习经历如何以及在多大程度上影响参与者对STEM专业和职业的认识、兴趣和参与？(2)什么是程序设计原则，基于技术的创新，理论基础，以及严格设计的非正式，校外时间STEM和ICT计划的最佳实践，这些计划展示了STEM从业者可以采用的影响力的示范性证据，以最大限度地提高影响力并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与？为了解决两个主要的研究问题，首先，项目团队将进行系统的文献综述和定量荟萃分析，以评估非正式STEM和ICT学习经历如何以及在多大程度上影响参与者对STEM专业和职业的认识，兴趣和参与。第二，项目组将使用两个经过验证的规则来识别那些展示研究设计质量和影响的示范性证据的研究。从这些研究中，该团队将进行定性分析，以确定项目设计原则，基于技术的创新，理论基础和最佳实践，供STEM从业者采用，以最大限度地发挥影响力并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与。通过专注于专门针对女性，服务不足的人群和历史上被边缘化的种族和民族群体的成员的影响的示范性证据的程序，研究结果可以被从业人员用来告知程序设计和实践，并最大限度地发挥代表性不足的学生的影响。该项目的成果将包括同行评审的出版物、网络研讨会和会议演示，以确保本研究的结果传播给科学教育界。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。