Measuring the Effectiveness of Middle School STEM-Innovation and Engineering Design Curricula

将工程学纳入下一代科学标准，增加了K-12学生学习工程学相关概念和技能以及了解工程学职业道路的机会。然而，一个长期存在的挑战是，缺乏符合科学和数学教育标准的高质量、以研究为基础的工程课程资源。此外，K-12学生学习制造业以及制造业与工程、数学和科学的关系的机会也是有限的。佐治亚理工学院的研究人员开发了一套为期三年的中学工程与技术课程序列，向学生介绍计算机辅助设计(CAD)和3D打印等先进制造工具，融入气动、机器人和航空等工程概念，提高学生对职业道路的认识，并解决技术雇主对具有解决问题、团队合作和沟通技能的工人的担忧。这项DRK-12影响研究项目将在佐治亚州大约29所中学调查STEM-创新与设计(STEM-ID)课程的有效性，目标是29名工程学教师和大约5000名中学年级的学生。这项影响研究研究将确定在正常实施条件下，STEM-ID课程在不同人口群体和学校环境中是否同样有效，以及这些课程是否有可能对全国各地的大量学生产生积极影响，特别是那些努力保持STEM教育积极性的学生。这是将NSF支持下开发的STEM-ID课程从研究实验室转移到学校大规模实践的更大努力的关键部分。为了促进大规模实施，该项目将把所有课程和教师支持材料转移到一个在线传播网站，开发及时的教师支持材料以嵌入课程，创建一个在线专业发展平台，并在该州的多个地区进行专业学习。然后，项目组将评估STEM-ID课程的可转移性，并确定影响实施的教师成果。他们还将通过衡量学生在STEM学业成绩和社会情绪量表上的成绩来检验课程的概括性。该项目的研究问题考虑了1)影响尺度的背景因素；2)实施的保真度、课程适应性和可持续性；3)专业发展对教师工程自我效能感和教学实践的影响；4)参与对学生数学和科学学业成绩的影响；5)参与对学生社会情绪结果的影响；以及5)STEM-ID实施方式与学生结果之间的关系。为了检验STEM-ID对成就和成就成长的影响，研究者将使用多水平增长模型和中介分析来探索干预对成就的影响是否通过学生的投入、学业自我效能感和/或对STEM的兴趣来中介。此外，他们将借鉴世纪和Cassata的Fidelity of Implementation框架(FOI)，研究影响STEM-ID课程在不同学校环境中实施的一系列因素。探索研究预科-12课程(DRK-12)旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高预科-12学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。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。

Inclusion of engineering in the Next Generation Science Standards has led to increased opportunities for K-12 students to learn engineering related concepts and skills, and learn about engineering career paths. However, a persistent challenge is the lack of high-quality, research-based engineering curricular resources that align with science and math education standards. Further, the opportunities for K-12 students to also learn about manufacturing and how manufacturing is related to engineering, math, and science are limited. Researchers from Georgia Tech have developed a three-year middle school Engineering and Technology course sequence that introduces students to advanced manufacturing tools such as computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printing, incorporates engineering concepts such as pneumatics, robotics and aeronautics, increases student awareness of career paths, and addresses the concerns of technical employers wanting workers with problem solving, teamwork, and communication skills. This DRK-12 Impact Study project will investigate the effectiveness of STEM-Innovation and Design (STEM-ID) curricula in approximately 29 middle schools, targeting 29 engineering teachers and approximately 5,000 students across middle grades in Georgia. This impact research study will determine whether STEM-ID courses are equally effective across different demographic groups and school environments under normal implementation conditions and whether the courses have the potential to positively impact a vast number of students around the country, particularly students who have struggled to stay engaged with their STEM education. It is a critical part of a larger effort to move the STEM-ID curricula, developed with NSF support, from the research lab to large-scale practice in schools.To facilitate large-scale implementation, the project will transfer all curriculum and teacher support materials to an online dissemination site, develop just-in-time teacher support materials to embed within the curriculum, create an online professional development platform, and conduct professional learning in multiple areas of the state. The project team will then assess the transferability of the STEM-ID curricula and identify teacher outcomes that affect the implementation. They will also examine the generalizability of the curriculum by measuring student outcomes in STEM academic achievement and on social-emotional scales. The project’s research questions consider 1) contextual factors that influence scaling; 2) the fidelity of implementation, curriculum adaptations and sustainability; 3) the effects of professional development on teachers’ engineering self-efficacy and instructional practices; 4) the effect of participation on student academic performance in mathematics and science; 5) the effect of participation on student social-emotional outcomes; and 5) the relationship between the way STEM-ID is implemented and the student outcomes. To examine the effects of STEM-ID on achievement and achievement growth, the investigators will use a multilevel growth model and mediation analysis to explore if the intervention’s effect on achievement was mediated by students’ engagement, academic self-efficacy, and/or interest in STEM. Additionally, drawing upon Century and Cassata’s Fidelity of Implementation framework (FOI), they will examine the array of factors that influence implementation of the STEM-ID curricula across diverse school settings.The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.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.