Assessing Scientific Inquiry and Leadership Skills

描述（由申请人提供）：这个为期四年的项目旨在加强促进进入生物医学研究事业并取得成功的项目，特别是那些未被充分代表的少数民族学生。研究问题是：1)项目活动，特别是研究参与和指导，如何影响：a)学生在科学探究和团队合作方面的技能，b)他们对自己能力的信念，以及c)他们与阶段相适应的职业成果；2)这些影响对少数民族和非少数民族学生是相似还是不同。来自高中、社区学院、本科和研究生水平的学生将参与这项研究。三个独立的研究将检验理论假设。校友回顾调查将涉及700名高中项目校友、500名本科项目校友、100名研究生项目校友，以及500名未参加正式支持项目的本科生和100名研究生理科校友。这些反馈，以及来自项目教职员工和实地观察的定性信息，将为模拟的设计和测试提供基础，这些模拟既可以作为科学探究和科学团队合作技能的绩效评估，也可以作为教育经验。在COSMOS模拟和调查中，280名因科学和数学能力强而被COSMOS招募的高中生将在为期四周的住宿项目开始和结束时参加模拟。在大学生模拟与调查中，100名参与科学支持计划的大学生将在2006-07学年开始和结束时参加模拟。在这些研究中，大约54%的样本是女性，44%来自代表性不足的少数群体。以学生为分析单位，我们的主要依赖指标是继续从事研究事业的意愿和实际继续，科学探究和团队合作的技能，以及对这些技能的信念。数据将主要通过相关和多元回归程序进行分析。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This four-year project aims to strengthen programs that promote entry into and success in biomedical research careers, particularly by underrepresented minority students. The research questions are: 1) how do program activities, particularly research participation and mentoring, influence: a) students' skills in science inquiry and teamwork, b) their beliefs in their abilities, and c) their stage-appropriate career outcomes; and 2) are these influences similar or different for minority and non-minority students. Students from high school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate levels will participate in the study. Three separate studies will test theoretical hypotheses. An Alumni Retrospective Survey will involve 700 high school program alumni, 500 undergraduate program alumni, 100 graduate program alumni, and 500 undergraduate and 100 graduate science alumni who did not participate in formal support programs. These responses, as well as qualitative information from program faculty and staff and from field observations, will provide the foundation for the design and testing of simulations that serve both as performance-based assessments of science inquiry and scientific teamwork skills and as educational experiences. In the COSMOS Simulation and Survey, 280 high school students recruited for COSMOS because of their high abilities in science and mathematics will participate in the simulations at the beginning and end of their four-week residential program. In the Undergraduate Simulation and Survey, 100 undergraduates involved in science support programs will participate in the simulations at the beginning and end of the 2006-07 academic year. Across these studies, approximately 54% of the sample will be females, and 44% from underrepresented minority groups. With the student as the unit of analysis, our primary dependent measures are intention to continue and actual continuation toward research careers, skills in scientific inquiry and teamwork, and beliefs about those skills. Data will be analyzed primarily through correlational and multiple regression procedures.