Collaborative Research: Investigating STEM Teacher Preparation and Rural Teacher Persistence and Retention

该项目旨在满足国家解决农村社区STEM教师短缺问题的需要。在过去的世纪里，为学校配备高质量的STEM教师一直是农村学校面临的一个持续挑战，然而，迄今为止，用于改善教师教育的资源相对较少，以帮助教师为在农村环境中工作做好准备。解决美国农村地区的STEM教师队伍需求对未来学生的成功至关重要。该项目旨在通过关注教育者准备计划（EPP）如何解决农村和农村环境中STEM教学的独特背景来解决STEM教师队伍的挑战。此外，它旨在确定支持农村STEM教师招聘，保留和持久性的教育者准备计划的方案特征。该项目由密西西比州立大学牵头，有13个合作伙伴（德克萨斯农工大学，斯蒂芬F。奥斯汀大学、威斯康星州大学河流瀑布、海耶斯堡州立大学、克拉克森大学、肯塔基州大学、亚拉巴马大学伯明翰分校、德克萨斯理工大学、莫尔黑德州立大学、德克萨斯A M大学-商业、温斯洛普大学、亚拉巴马A M大学和北达科他州州立大学）有三个主要目标。首先是调查EPP功能对计划完成者的教学意图以及他们的持续性（继续在同一所学校任教）和保留（继续任教，但在一个新的学校）在农村STEM教室的影响。第二是进行深刻反思，从而在合作伙伴的教育者准备方案中进行方案调整，以增加农村学校公平获得有效教学的机会。第三是分享新兴的知识，支持计划完成者的教学意图，完成EPP后的就业决定，以及他们在农村安置的持久性和保留的EPP的程序功能。指导这项研究的首要假设是，通过包括背景在内的方案特征明确解决农村问题的EPP（例如，解决农村教学的优势和挑战以及对农村地区的陈规定型观念），课程（例如，重点放在基于地点的教学和农村实地经验），和运输（例如，从农村或在线交付招聘）将支持农村学校的招聘，保留和坚持，这可以为农村学校带来更多样化和更有效的STEM教学队伍。需要进行研究，以了解这些方案的特点，以指导设计和提供教育工作者的准备方案，为农村学校和社区的影响。这个基础研究项目使用纵向，重复测量，混合方法的研究设计，其中美国的14个合作伙伴将确定解决农村问题的方案特征，并跟踪计划完成者的教学，持久性和保留意图，从而产生将在内部传播的证据（合作伙伴）和更广泛的受众（例如，STEM教育、教师教育和农村教育社区）。数据来源包括课程工件，如学位计划，课程教学大纲，现场安置数据和评估数据;与项目教师的访谈;和两个调查，以捕捉人口统计数据，就业数据，并随着时间的推移的三个结果变量。这项合作研究的更广泛的影响目标是创造可操作的知识，以支持农村STEM教师的持久性和保留。这个轨道4：诺伊斯研究项目是通过罗伯特诺伊斯教师奖学金计划（诺伊斯）的支持。诺伊斯计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师和经验丰富的模范K-12教师，成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project aims to serve the national need of addressing STEM teacher shortages in rural communities. Staffing schools with high quality STEM teachers has been a persistent challenge for rural schools for the past century, however, to date, relatively few resources have been allocated toward the improvement of teacher education to prepare teachers to work in rural settings. Addressing STEM teacher workforce needs in rural America is critical for future student success. This project aims to address STEM teacher workforce challenges through a focus on how educator preparation programs (EPPs) address the unique contexts of rurality and teaching STEM in rural settings. Moreover, it seeks to identify the programmatic features of educator preparation programs that support rural STEM teacher recruitment, retention, and persistence. This project, led by Mississippi State University with thirteen collaborative partners (Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Wisconsin River Falls, Fort Hayes State University, Clarkson University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama Birmingham, Texas Tech University, Morehead State University, Texas A&M University- Commerce, Winthrop University, Alabama A&M University, and North Dakota State University) has three main goals. First is to investigate the impact of EPP features on program completers’ intention to teach as well as their persistence (continuing to teach at the same school) and retention (continuing to teach but at a new school) in rural STEM classrooms. Second is to engage in deep reflection leading to programmatic adjustments within collaborating partners’ educator preparation programs intended to increase equitable access to effective instruction for rural schools. Third is to share emerging knowledge about programmatic features of EPPs that support program completers’ intention to teach, their employment decisions after completing the EPP, and their persistence and retention in rural placements. The overarching hypothesis guiding this study is that EPPs that explicitly address rurality through programmatic features including context (e.g., addressing the strengths and challenges of rural teaching and stereotypes about rural places), curriculum (e.g., a focus on place-based instruction and rural field experiences), and conveyance (e.g., recruiting from rural or online delivery) will support recruitment, retention, and persistence in rural schools, which can lead to a more diverse and effective STEM teaching force for rural schools. Research is needed to understand the impact of these programmatic features in order to guide the design and delivery of educator preparation programs that serve rural schools and communities. This foundational research project uses a longitudinal, repeated-measures, mixed-methods research design in which 14 collaborating partners across the U.S. will identify programmatic features that address rurality and track program completers’ intentions to teach, persistence, and retention and thus produce evidence that will be disseminated both internally (to collaborating partners) and to broader audiences (e.g., STEM education, teacher education, and rural education communities). Data sources include curricular artifacts such as degree plans, course syllabi, field placement data, and assessment data; interviews with program faculty; and two surveys to capture demographic data, employment data, and the three outcome variables over time. The broader impact aim of this collaborative research is to create actionable knowledge to support rural STEM teacher persistence and retention. This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.