Mini-Symposia: The Results of the African Diaspora: Developing Black Scholars in Science Education for the 21st Century in the United States, Part II

利用会议和工作组的形式，项目调查人员将召集15名非裔美国科学教育者、科学家和博士生学者，并将他们分配到小工作组，设计和开展促进小学、初中和中学科学学习和教学的学习活动的多地点微观研究。此外，还将在项目参与者之间建立一个指导网络，使经验丰富的教育工作者和科学家与即将到来的学者结成伙伴关系。工作组将调查K-12农村和城市学校设置中使用的不同学习和教学方法，以确定使用定量，定性或混合设计研究对学生科学学习的影响。该项目的目标是建立一个科学教育教师网络，对美国农村和城市学生的科学学习和教学相关问题进行研究；开发和开展多地点微观研究，以成功发表有关科学学习和教学效果的学术论文；增加非裔美国人的科学教育和来自传统的白人和历史上的黑人学院和大学的科学教师的数量，他们准备设计和开展关于科学教学和学习的严格研究，并为他们的项目寻求资金。项目设计包括2013年夏季小型研讨会，该研讨会将采用分组会议、全体演讲和工作组时间来设计多地点微型研究，并协助机构审查委员会的申请。在2013-14学年，工作小组将通过电子媒体保持联系，因为在夏季小型研讨会之后进行了研究。第二次研讨会将在2014年国家科学教学研究协会国际会议期间举行，以便团队可以分析数据，为资助项目准备想法，并开始准备期刊文章和其他方式来传播研究结果。形成性和总结性项目评估将在项目的不同阶段进行，包括项目完成一年后，以确定项目是否在实现其三个目标方面取得了令人满意的进展。研究不同学校环境下有效的科学学习与教学策略，最终将为学生提供更多创新的科学教材和科学教学。如果学生要理解科学概念和思想，并从事有意义的科学数据收集、分析和解释，这种途径是至关重要的。当学生体验到有效的科学活动时，特别是在中学阶段，他们更有可能在科学方面表现出色，并可能考虑与科学相关的大学专业和职业。这个项目将对科学教育的两个关键领域产生积极影响：K-12学校的教学实践，以及从事研究的非裔美国科学教育者和科学家的数量，尤其是受资助的项目。在农村和城市的K-12课堂上，理解最具创新性和有效性的科学实践将提高学生的科学素养、成就和对科学事业的追求。这些做法将得到改进，并在各个学校系统中共享。由指导网络推动的合作研究工作将产生一群科学和科学教育学者，他们可以在完成第一轮会议论文介绍、出版审议手稿和拨款提案时，继续在本项目期间开始的工作基础上继续发展。

Utilizing a conference and work group format, project investigators will convene a group of 15 African American science educators, scientists, and doctoral student scholars and assign them to small work groups to design and conduct multi-site micro-research studies on learning activities that promote elementary, middle school, and secondary science learning and teaching. A mentoring network will be established among project participants, as well, partnering experienced educators and scientists with upcoming scholars. Work groups will investigate different learning and teaching approaches used in K-12 rural and urban school settings to identify effects on student science learning using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed design studies. The project goal is the development of a network of science education faculty members to conduct research on issues related to science learning and teaching of rural and urban students in the United States; to develop and conduct multi-site micro-research studies leading to successful scholarly publications on science learning and teaching effectiveness; to increase numbers of African American science education and science faculty members from traditionally White and Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are prepared to design and conduct rigorous research studies on science teaching and learning and to seek funding for their projects. The project design includes a summer 2013 mini-symposium that will employ breakout sessions, plenary speakers, and work group time for the design of multi-site micro-research studies and assistance with Institutional Review Board applications. During the 2013-14 academic year, the work groups will stay in contact via electronic media as studies are conducted following the summer mini-symposium. The second symposium will take place during the 2014 National Association for Research in Science Teaching international meeting so that teams can analyze data, prepare ideas for funding projects, and begin to prepare journal articles and other means to disseminate findings. Formative and summative project evaluation will take place at different stages of the project, including one year from project completion, to determine if the project made satisfactory progress in meeting its three goals. The studies on effective science learning and teaching strategies in different school settings will eventually provide students access to more innovative science instructional materials and science instruction. This access is paramount if students are to understand science concepts and ideas and engage in meaningful scientific data collection, analysis, and interpretation. When students experience effective science activities, especially at the middle school level, there is a greater likelihood they will perform well in science and may consider science-related college majors and careers.Two critical areas in science education will be positively affected by this project: instructional practices in K-12 schools and the number of African American science educators and scientists conducting research, especially funded projects. Understanding science practices that are most innovative and effective in K-12 rural and urban classrooms will lead to increased student science literacy, achievement, and pursuit of science careers. These practices will be refined and shared across school systems. Collaborative research efforts advanced by the mentoring network will result in a group of science and science education scholars who can continue to build on the work begun during this project as they complete their initial round of conference paper presentations, manuscripts for publication consideration, and grant proposals.