Informal Biodiversity Education Models for Rural and Tribal Youth

吸引和留住科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域所有社会人口背景的青年是确保STEM劳动力公平和多样性的国家优先事项。先前的研究认识到，强烈的科学身份增加了年轻人坚持STEM的可能性，而校外STEM经历对于发展和维持科学身份至关重要。然而，农村和部落社区获得非正式科学的机会有限。在面临这些公平挑战的同时，迫切需要教育青年、家庭和社区了解影响生物多样性的过程，这对维持未来人口和农业劳动力至关重要。利用与8个农村和8个部落图书馆现有的合作伙伴关系作为社区资源中心，该项目的目标是开发、研究和实施一个非正式的生物多样性教育框架，使农村和部落青年、青年从业人员和图书馆员能够(1)成为生物多样性的管理者；(2)培养学生对STEM的科学认同感和归属感；(3)磨练分析和解决问题的能力。项目内容将与每个社区单独合作开发，共吸引160名11至15岁的青少年参与，为期12至14周。预期的结果包括增强参与者的科学认同和环境管理，以及全国农村和部落社区可以利用的框架，使青年、家庭和从业者参与当地的科学研究实践。三个研究问题将有助于理解共同创建的生物多样性教育模式如何以及在多大程度上影响中青年的环境管理意识、科学身份、解决问题和分析技能：(1)加强图书馆、青年及其青年领袖之间的伙伴关系以及围绕生物多样性规划整合土著和西方科学方法的有效策略是什么？2)生物多样性模式在多大程度上提高了青年的环境管理、科学认同、归属感、自我效能感和兴趣？(3)青年生物多样性项目的实践者共同创造如何提高引导者在吸引青年参与科学实践和解决问题方面的自我效能感？该项目将与图书馆员、青年领袖、部落社区成员和土著顾问合作，通过访谈、焦点小组、观察和调查等方式收集数据。研究结果将采用扎实的理论方法进行综合，并通过与每个图书馆（图书管理员、工作人员、青年）、项目工作人员和顾问的持续对话进行广泛分享，以获得反馈并修改计划。除了同行评议的研究渠道外，所有相关的项目发现都将与部落组织分享，并将提供一本书长的产品，作为在其他地区为青年生态监测创造机会的指南。该整合研究与实践项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划支持以下项目：(a)促进研究和实践，考虑非正式STEM学习在STEM公平和归属方面的作用；(b)促进个人和教育在STEM方面的成功；(c)促进公众参与科学发现；(d)培养对STEM职业的兴趣；(e)为有效的非正式STEM学习创造和加强理论和经验基础；(f)改善社区活力；及/或(g)加强科学传播和公众对STEM和STEM过程的参与和理解。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。

Attracting and retaining youth from all sociodemographic backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a national priority for ensuring equity and diversity in the STEM workforce. Prior research recognizes that a strong science identity increases the likelihood of youth persistence in STEM, and out-of-school STEM experiences are crucial for developing and maintaining science identity. However, access to informal science is limited in rural and Tribal communities. Concurrent with these equity challenges, there is an urgent need to educate youth, families, and communities about processes that impact biodiversity, which are critical for sustaining future populations and the agricultural workforce. Leveraging existing partnerships with eight rural and eight Tribal libraries as community resource centers, the goal of this project is to develop, research, and implement an informal biodiversity educational framework that empowers rural and Tribal youth, youth practitioners, and librarians to (1) become stewards of biodiversity; (2) foster an enhanced sense of science identify and belonging in STEM; and (3) hone analytical and problem-solving skills. Program content will be individually co-developed with each community, engaging 160 total youth ages 11 to 15 for 12-14 weeks. Expected outcomes include enhanced science identity and environmental stewardship among participants and a framework that can be leveraged by rural and Tribal communities across the country to engage youth, families, and practitioners in local scientific research practices.Three research questions will advance understanding of how and to what extent a co-created biodiversity educational model impacts middle-school-aged youths' sense of environmental stewardship, science identity, problem-solving, and analytical skills: (1) What are the effective strategies to strengthen partnerships between libraries, youth, and their youth leaders and the integration of Indigenous and Western science approaches around biodiversity programming? 2) To what extent does the biodiversity model increase youths' environmental stewardship, science identity, belonging, self-efficacy, and interest? (3) How does practitioner co-creation of youth biodiversity projects increase facilitators' self-efficacy in engaging youth in science practice and problem-solving? Working with librarians, youth leaders, tribal community members, and indigenous advisors, the project will collect data using a combination of interviews, focus groups, observations, and surveys. Findings will be synthesized using a grounded theory approach and broadly shared through continuing conversations with each library (librarian, staff, youth), project staff, and advisors to get feedback and revise the program. In addition to peer-reviewed research outlets, all associated project findings will be shared with a Tribal organizations, and a book-length product will be made available that will serve as a guide for creating opportunities for youth ecological monitoring in other areas.This Integrating Research and Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports projects that: (a) contribute to research and practice that considers informal STEM learning's role in equity and belonging in STEM; (b) promote personal and educational success in STEM; (c) advance public engagement in scientific discovery; (d) foster interest in STEM careers; (e) create and enhance the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; (f) improve community vibrancy; and/or (g) enhance science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.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.