EAGER Investigating Barriers and Strategies to Increase HBCU Participation in STEM Education Research

HBCUs对于培养多元化和包容性的劳动力至关重要，因为他们毕业的非裔美国人未来的STEM工人和STEM领导者数量不成比例。虽然国家科学基金会完全致力于多样性和包容性，但很少有研究来确定为什么历史上的黑人学院和大学没有充分参与NSF STEM教育研究机会。该项目将调查历史上的黑人学院和大学（HBCU）的挑战，需求和支持，以成功申请美国国家科学基金会（NSF）的教育研究支持。参与者将从有资格申请此类资金的96个HBCU中招募，并将包括参与研究项目准备和相关研究资金申请的广泛的学院和大学管理部门和教师。调查将主要集中在NSF内部的非正式和正式环境（DRL）学习研究部门。调查将：1）确定在DRL供资机制内HBCU的提交率和资助成功率; 2）确定为什么HBCU在其研究应用中没有成功或没有申请的比例更大; 3）确定哪些因素，如机构支持，研究专业知识和专业发展，可以导致HBCU的研究提案数量更多，并在获得资金方面取得更大的成功。该项目有可能通过提供支持和鼓励HBCU参与DRL教育研究资助计划的最佳方法的实证研究结果，对国家教育和研究议程产生重大影响。 这个探索性的研究项目将调查什么变化和/或支持将有助于显着增加申请的数量和成功的补助金奖励由HBCUs提出的STEM教育研究项目。 该项目有以下研究问题：（1）哪些因素阻碍了HBCU参与DRL供资机制，鼓励参与的最佳做法是什么？(2)HBCU通过哪些方法成功获得了DRL资金？(3)HBCU研究人员成功向NSF提交STEM提案需要哪些动态能力？(4)什么样的变化将有助于减少或消除HBCU申请DRL教育研究资金的任何障碍，以及什么样的支持，如专业发展，将有助于获得资金的更大成功？参与者将从96个合格的HBCU中招募，并将包括来自管理部门的两个人（例如，办公室赞助计划，院长，副总裁等）以及教师内部。该研究将收集各种定量和定性数据，旨在支持对解决研究问题的因素进行全面分析。该项目将开发与教师，管理人员和政策制定者相关的研究结果和建议，以改善HBCU参与研究资助的机会。项目研究的结果将通过项目网站、同行评审期刊、通讯和会议演示广泛传播到HBCU和其他少数民族服务机构（MSI）。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）、推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）和发现研究PreK-12（DRK-12）计划资助。这些项目支持的项目建立的做法，程序元素，上下文和过程的理解，有助于增加学生和公众的知识和兴趣，在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

HBCUs are critical to producing a diverse and inclusive workforce as they graduate a disproportionate number of African American future STEM workers and STEM leaders. Although the National Science Foundation is fully committed to diversity and inclusion, there has been little research to determine why Historically Black Colleges and Universities are not fully participating in the NSF STEM educational research opportunities. The project will investigate the challenges, needs and support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to succeed in applying for educational research support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Participants will be recruited from 96 HBCUs that are eligible to apply for such funding and will include the wide range of college and university administration and faculty that are involved in the preparation of research projects and related applications for research funding. The investigation will focus primarily on the Division of Research on Learning in Informal and Formal Settings (DRL) within NSF. The investigation will: 1) determine the submission rate and funding success rate of HBCUs within the DRL funding mechanisms; 2) determine why a greater proportion of HBCUs are not successful in their applications of research or do not apply; and 3) determine what factors, such as institutional support, research expertise, and professional development, could lead to a larger number of research proposals from HBCUs and greater success in obtaining funding. The project has the potential to have significant influence on the national educational and research agenda by providing empirical findings on the best approach to support and encourage HBCU participation in DRL educational research funding programs. This exploratory research project will investigate what changes and/or supports would contribute to significantly increasing the number of applications and successful grant awards for STEM educational research project proposed by HBCUs. The project has the following research questions: (1) What factors discourage participation of HBCUs in the DRL funding mechanisms and what are the best practices to encourage participation? (2) What approaches have been successful for HBCUs to obtain DRL funding? (3) What dynamic capabilities are necessary for HBCU researchers to successfully submit STEM proposals to NSF? (4) What changes would be helpful to reduce or eliminate any barriers for HBCU applications for DRL educational research funding and what supports, such as professional development, would contribute to greater success in obtaining funding? Participants will be recruited from the 96 eligible HBCUs and will include both individuals from within the administration (e.g., Office Sponsored Programs, Deans, VP, etc.) as well as from within the faculty. The research will collect variety of quantitative and qualitative data designed to support a comprehensive analysis of factors addressing the research questions. The project will develop research findings and recommendations that are relevant to faculty, administrators, and policymakers for improving HBCU participation in research funding opportunities. Results of project research will be widely disseminated to HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) through a project website, peer reviewed journals, newsletters, and conference presentations.This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), and the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) programs. These programs which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' and general public knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).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.