Research: Transforming Interests in STEM Careers (TISC)

这项名为“将兴趣转化为STEM职业”（TISC）的研究将在两所高中测试一种促进STEM大学文化的模式。干预模式的主要目标是鼓励青少年在大学和这些领域的职业中追求STEM专业。该研究的重点是了解决定年轻学生对STEM学科的兴趣以及他们进入实际STEM职业的各种因素。研究设计包括四所学校（两所农村学校和两所城市学校），所有这些学校的大学入学率都低于预期。一所农村学校和一所城市学校将作为治疗组，另外两所学校作为对照组。TISC干预的主要目的是促进全校的大学文化，鼓励学校的所有学生将自己视为STEM领域的大学申请者，他们的教师，管理人员和家长分享这些期望。研究将进行：（1）在两所学校实施TISC干预措施;（2）评估整体干预措施以及每个具体组成部分（例如，多层次的指导，课程规划和排序，创造一个全校性的大学文化，财政援助规划，接触STEM职业生涯，以及数学和科学类教师专业发展）。关键的研究问题是：（1）TISC在多大程度上有效地提高了高中阶段STEM领域的参与度？TISC的哪些组成部分在提高参与度方面最有效？(2)TISC在增加STEM高等教育领域的入学率方面有多有效？(3)TISC在提高STEM领域的持久性方面有多有效？本研究将使用五种工具收集数据：（1）青少年生活问卷;（2）职业取向调查;（3）“大学文化”访谈;（4）主观感受的经验抽样法;（5）年轻人跟踪调查。这些数据将使用各种定量数据分析方法进行分析，包括回归模型和分层线性模型，以回答研究问题。

The proposed study, Transforming Interests into STEM Careers (TISC), will test a model for promoting a STEM college-going culture in two high schools. The main goal of the intervention model is to encourage adolescents to pursue STEM majors in college and occupations in these fields. The study's focus is upon understanding the various factors that determine young students' interests in STEM disciplines and their entry into actual STEM careers. The study design includes four schools (two rural and two urban), all of which have lower than expected college going rates. One rural and one urban school will be the treatment group, the other two, the control group. The main purpose of the TISC intervention is to promote a school-wide college-going culture in which all students in a school are encouraged to perceive themselves as college applicants in the STEM fields, with their teachers, administrators, and parents sharing these expectations. The research study will undertake: (1) to implement the TISC intervention in two schools; and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the overall intervention, as well as each specific component (e.g., multi-tiered mentoring, course planning and sequencing, creating a school-wide college-going culture, financial aid planning, exposure to STEM careers, and teacher professional development in mathematics and science classes). The key research questions are: (1) to what extent is TISC effective at increasing engagement with STEM fields at the high school level? Which components of TISC are most effective at increasing engagement? (2) How effective is TISC at increasing entry into STEM postsecondary fields? (3) How effective is TISC in increasing persistence in STEM fields? Data will be collected using five instruments: (1) Teenage Life Questionnaire; (2) Career Orientation Survey; (3) "College Culture" interviews; 4) Experience Sampling Method on the subjective perceptions; and (5) Young Adult Follow-Up Survey. These data will be analyzed using a variety of quantitative data analysis methods, including regression models and Hierarchical Linear Models to answer the research questions.