Identifying the Foundational Concepts and Skills of Materials Chemistry

该项目旨在通过确定材料化学研究所需的概念和技能来服务于国家利益。解决国家最具挑战性的问题需要设计具有正确化学特性的材料。 例如，解决能源需求需要更高效率的太阳能电池板;减少微塑料的流行需要强大的塑料替代品。因此，材料化学是一个快速增长的研究领域和国家劳动力的领域。然而，材料化学在本科化学课程中并不常见，并且不清楚哪些概念和技能对于材料化学的整体准备至关重要。在NSF EDU核心研究的支持下：STEM教育研究能力建设（ECR：BCSER）计划，这个个人研究者发展轨道（IID）项目旨在通过对博士后研究人员的全国调查来促进对材料化学研究中使用的概念和技能的理解。这种理解将使教育研究人员能够研究学生在关键内容领域的学习，并将帮助教育工作者为学生提供发展材料化学能力的机会。同时，本项目将培养早期职业教育研究者在调查设计和统计分析方面的定量技能。通过这种方式，该项目能够在与重大国家和全球挑战相关的领域增强国家STEM劳动力。本研究使用综合概念框架来实施技能和概念。该框架为对进行材料化学研究的博士后学者的探索性采访收集提供了信息。对这些访谈的归纳分析将产生深入的见解，为定量调查的发展提供信息。根据教育和心理测试标准，将使用基于测试内容、响应过程和内部结构的证据，以确保调查产生的数据及其解释的有效性。该调查将在全国范围内对材料化学博士后学者进行管理。将使用聚类分析和社会网络分析对答复进行分析。这些发现将被用来开发一个地图，确定使用中的材料化学技能和概念，它们的相对使用频率，以及它们之间的关系。项目成果将集中在技能和概念图上。 项目的调查结果和成果将通过介绍和开放获取的研究出版物进行分享。对于这个个人研究者发展项目，主要研究者（PI）将通过课程和项目导师和咨询委员会的合作来发展相关的定量技能。该项目由NSF的EDU核心研究支持，在STEM教育研究中建立能力（ECR：BCSER）计划，旨在培养研究人员在STEM学习和学习环境的核心领域开展高质量STEM教育研究的能力，扩大STEM领域的参与，该奖项反映了NSF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进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

This project aims to serve the national interest by identifying the concepts and skills necessary for materials chemistry research. Solutions to the Nation’s most challenging problems require materials designed with the right chemical properties. For example, addressing energy needs requires higher-efficiency solar panels; decreasing the prevalence of microplastics requires robust plastic alternatives. Consequently, materials chemistry is a rapidly growing field of research and area of the national workforce. However, materials chemistry is not commonly represented in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum, and it is not clear which concepts and skills are essential for a holistic preparation in materials chemistry. With support from the NSF EDU Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) program, this Individual Investigator Development-track (IID) project seeks to advance understanding of what concepts and skills are used in materials chemistry research through a national survey of post-doctoral researchers. This understanding will enable education researchers to study student learning in crucial content areas, and will aid educators in providing opportunities for students to develop materials chemistry competencies. Concurrently, this project will build the quantitative skills of an early-career education researcher in survey design and statistical analysis. In this way, this project enables the enhancement of the national STEM workforce in areas relevant to major national and global challenges.This study uses an integrated conceptual framework to operationalize skills and concepts. This framework informs the collection of exploratory interviews with postdoctoral scholars who conduct materials chemistry research. An inductive analysis of these interviews will yield insights that will inform the development of a quantitative survey. In alignment with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, evidence based on test content, response process, and internal structure will be used to ensure validity of the data produced by the survey, and its interpretation. The survey will be administered nationally to postdoctoral scholars in materials chemistry. Responses will be analyzed using cluster analysis and social network analysis. These findings will be used to develop a map identifying the materials chemistry skills and concepts in use, their relative frequency of use, and the relationships between them. Project outcomes will center the skill and concept map. Project findings and outcomes will be shared through presentations and open-access research publications. For this individual investigator development project, the principal investigator (PI) will develop relevant quantitative skills through coursework and collaboration from a project mentor and advisory board. This project is supported by NSF’s EDU 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 in the core areas of 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.