Quantitative Research Methods for STEM Education Scholars Program

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Despite the persistent under representation of individuals from underserved populations in STEM, there are not enough scholars and early career researchers trained to adequately study the issues. This training institute project will target early career scholars with research foci on issues of access and equity of underrepresented populations in STEM within either K-12 or postsecondary settings. The goal of the training institute is to focus on and improve education research study design, methods of measurement, and data analytical approaches for 60 early career scholars over three cohorts. Each scholar's work will make valuable and immediate contributions to the literature around issues such as STEM education access, achievement gaps, and workforce diversity. This research institute involves a year-long training of three cohorts of 20 Quantitative Research Methods (QRM) scholars via two intensive institutes on fundamental issues in research design, analysis, measurement, with both in-person and remote collaborative activities and meetings with their assigned methods mentor and graduate student facilitator. Year-long interactions include live-stream workshops, regular meetings with methods mentors, and a social network infrastructure to improve participant's skills in design and execution of research in STEM Education. Each QRM scholar will be expected to work on a proposed study/activity during the year while they are being mentored, this may be in collaboration with other scholars. The year will culminate with a capstone conference, where the scholars present their work from the past year.The project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR:BCSER) program, which is designed to build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research.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.