Developing and Validating STEM Social Capital Scales

该项目将使一名处于职业生涯中期的首席研究员获得成功构思和执行基础研究所需的教育研究专业知识，并有可能在开发评估与STEM学习相关的社会资本的量表方面有意义地推进知识。研究者的个人发展计划包括导师和顾问委员会成员，他们将在整个奖励期间提供指导和反馈。具体而言，首席研究员将寻求在四个主要领域提高能力：(1)深入了解社会资本理论和措施；(2)访谈/焦点/小组的设计和实施的知识和技能；（三）调查设计、仪器研制的知识和技能；(4)进行效度研究和多层结构方程建模的知识和技能。个人专业发展计划中的活动包括参加学术会议；参与一对一的辅导活动；参与规模化发展的专业培训；参与社交机会；参加短期课程和研讨会；并与STEM教育专家、同事和研究人员一起参加在线活动。通过这个项目，主要研究者将开发和验证两个STEM社会资本量表，以提高对社会资本在促进学生在STEM中取得积极成果方面的作用的认识。这是一项重要的试点研究，因为很少有工具可以评估学生和家长对如何最好地支持和促进STEM参与的看法。该项目将与一个为期七周的针对六年级至十一年级学生的STEM暑期项目合作进行。因此，本项目将通过七步量表开发程序，寻求增加首席研究员对学生成绩、动机和参与STEM领域和职业的理解。这个项目的结果将推进首席研究者关于测量STEM社会资本对学生兴趣、动机和参与STEM领域和职业的影响的量表的方法论知识的开发。该项目通过EHR核心研究建设STEM教育研究能力竞赛得到支持，该竞赛旨在培养个人在STEM学习和学习环境中开展高质量基础STEM教育研究的能力，扩大STEM领域的参与，以及STEM劳动力的发展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

This project will allow a mid-career principal investigator to acquire the education research expertise needed to successfully conceive and execute fundamental research with the potential to meaningfully advance knowledge on developing scales to assess social capital as it relates to STEM learning. The investigator's individual development plan includes a mentor and advisory board members with expertise specific to this topic who will provide guidance and feedback throughout the award period. Specifically, the principal investigator will seek to increase capacity in four major areas: (1) deep knowledge of social capital theories and measures; (2) knowledge and skills of designing and conducting interviews/focus/groups; (3) knowledge and skills of designing surveys and developing instruments; and (4) knowledge and skills of conducting validity studies and multilevel structural equation modeling. Activities in the individual professional development plan include attending academic conferences; engaging in one-on-one mentoring activities; participating in specialized training on scale development; engaging in networking opportunities; taking short courses and attending seminars; and taking part in online activities with STEM education experts, colleagues, and researchers. Through this project, the principal investigator will develop and validate two STEM social capital scales to advance knowledge about social capital's role in promoting positive students' outcomes in STEM. This is an important pilot study since few instruments exist to assess both student and parent perspectives about how best to support and promote participation in STEM. The project will be conducted in collaboration with a seven-week STEM summer program for students in grades six through eleven. Therefore, this project will seek to increase the principal investigator's understanding about student achievement, motivation, and participation in STEM fields and careers through a seven-step scale development procedure. Outcomes from this project will advance the principal investigator's methodological knowledge about the development of scales for measuring the influence of STEM social capital on student's interest, motivation, and participation in STEM fields and careers. The project is supported through the EHR Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research competition that is designed to build individuals' capacity to carry out high quality fundamental STEM education research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.