Collaborative Research: Assessing the Longitudinal Impact of Noyce Awards on the Subject Matter Knowledge of Beginning STEM Teachers in the US: A Comparative Study

在2010年国家研究委员会的报告《培养教师：为健全的政策建立证据》中，强调了与STEM教师培养相关的领域缺乏足够的研究基础。这个Noyce Track 4B研究项目旨在解决其中一个确定的领域，因为它研究了从国家科学基金会获得Robert Noyce教师奖学金（Noyce）资助的机构在多大程度上比那些在Noyce资助周期内没有获得Noyce资助的机构准备了更多知识渊博的初级教师，这是通过对第一次参加考试的人进行实践II主题知识考试的结果来衡量的。通过石溪大学和肯尼索州立大学之间的合作研究，并与教育考试服务中心（ETS）合作，该项目将对过去15年的Praxis II考试成绩进行分类，以确定接受Noyce资助的机构在多大程度上比没有Noyce奖的机构培养了更多知识渊博的初级教师。NSF网站上的Noyce获奖者名单将用于对过去15年中来自Noyce和非Noyce机构的实践II考生进行分类。使用Praxis II考生自我报告的人口统计数据，将机构代码与Noyce和非Noyce机构列表进行比较，并对每个机构的学生进行简单的计数。由于并非所有州都使用了Praxis II考试来获得执照，因此在分析中只会捕获Noyce投资组合的一个子集。教师知识的衡量将在与实践II主题知识考试结果相关的两个层面上进行分析。第一级：分析将使用各州各自年度考试的分数线。这将有助于了解各院校是否在为STEM教师候选人准备由各自州预先确定的水平。第二级：对实践二学科知识的分析，以获得考试的原始正确率。每次考试将计算平均考试成绩，并根据教师候选人的表现相对于平均值（即比平均值高1个标准差，比平均值低1个标准差等）进行分组。将分析第1级和第2级中描述的结果变量，以及总体人口统计变量以及Noyce和非Noyce机构在绩效方面的其他差异。将回答的示例问题包括：与非Noyce机构相比，Noyce机构是否准备了更多的少数族裔STEM教师候选人？在STEM实践II内容知识考试中，Noyce院校的女性表现优于非Noyce院校的女性吗？与非Noyce院校相比，Noyce院校是否有更多非传统的第一次参加Praxis II考试的学生？为了建立一个Noyce对不同院校影响的模型，平均入学SAT分数将被用作回归分析中的协变量，以控制院校的选择性。在描述性分析中，只使用入学要求和SAT/ACT平均成绩相似的学校。为了衡量在一所大学同时拥有Noyce学者和非Noyce学者的情况下，Noyce资助对学者质量的影响，每个实践II STEM领域的考生人数、他们的平均GPA以及他们在Noyce资助之前是否拥有该领域专业的数据将被用于建立教师教育毕业生数量和类型的基线。这将允许对后续数据进行分析，以确定这些模式在接受Noyce资助后是否发生了变化。一项实证研究将仅限于NOYCE学校的子样本，以检验NOYCE毕业生在给定年份占STEM教育毕业生总数的比例的影响。它将作为一个系数纳入回归模型，以根据比例的大小调整Noyce机构之间的平均值比较。如果有证据表明该比率与机构层面的平均PRAXIS分数有关，则将在其他学校收集该比率，并将其纳入Noyce与非Noyce机构之间的平均比较。最后，本研究将考察Noyce项目对初入STEM行业的教师的内容知识深度的影响。

In the 2010 National Research Council's report, "Preparing Teachers: Building Evidence for Sound Policy," areas related to STEM teacher preparation that lacked a sufficient research base were highlighted. This Noyce Track 4B research project seeks to address one of the areas identified as it studies the extent to which those institutions receiving Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship (Noyce) funding from the National Science Foundation have prepared more knowledgeable beginning teachers than those institutions which have not received Noyce grants during Noyce funding cycles as measured by outcomes on Praxis II subject matter knowledge exams given to first time test takers. Through a collaborative research effort between Stony Brook University and Kennesaw State University, and working with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the project will undertake the disaggregation of Praxis II test scores over the past fifteen years to determine to what extent those institutions receiving Noyce funding have prepared more knowledgeable beginning teachers than those without Noyce awards. The list of Noyce awardees from the NSF website will be used to categorize Praxis II test takers coming from Noyce and non-Noyce institutions over the past fifteen years. Using the self-reported demographic data from Praxis II test takers, the institutional codes will be compared to the Noyce and non-Noyce institution list and a simple count of students at each institution will be performed. As not all states have used Praxis II exams for licensure, only a subset of the Noyce portfolio will be captured in the analysis. The measure of teacher knowledge will be analyzed at two levels related to outcomes on the Praxis II subject matter knowledge exams. Level 1: analysis will use individual state cut scores for the respective year exams. This will provide a look at whether institutions are preparing STEM teacher candidates for a level pre-determined by their respective states. Level 2: analysis of Praxis II subject matter knowledge for a raw percent correct score on the exam. An average exam score will be calculated for each exam and teacher candidates will be placed into groups based on their performance relative to the mean (i.e., 1 standard deviation above the mean, 1 standard deviation below the mean, etc.). The outcome variables described in Level 1 and Level 2 will be analyzed as well as additional differences in performance by demographic variables for the total population and also by Noyce and non-Noyce institutions. Example questions that will be answered include: Do Noyce institutions prepare more minority STEM teacher candidates compared to non-Noyce institutions? Do women at Noyce institutions outperform women at non-Noyce institutions based on STEM Praxis II content knowledge exams? Do Noyce institutions have a higher number of non-traditional first-time Praxis II test takers compared to their non-Noyce peers? In order to develop a model for impact of Noyce on different institutions, average incoming SAT scores will be used as a covariate in the regression analysis that will control for selectivity of the institution. In the descriptive analysis, only schools with similar entrance requirements and average SAT/ACT scores to each other will be used. In order to measure the impact of the Noyce funding related to the quality of the scholars in situations where a university has had both Noyce scholars and non-Noyce scholars, data on the number of test takers in each Praxis II STEM field, their average GPA, and whether or not they have in-field majors prior to Noyce funding will be used to establish a baseline for number and type of teacher education graduates. This will allow for analysis of subsequent data to determine whether these patterns changed after receiving Noyce funding. An empirical study will be conducted limited to a subsample of the NOYCE schools to examine the effect of the proportion of Noyce graduates to total STEM education graduates in the given year. It will be included as a coefficient in the regression models to adjust the comparison of averages between the Noyce institutions based on the size of the proportion. If there is evidence that the ratio is related to the average PRAXIS scores at the institution level, then it will be collected on additional schools and incorporated into the comparison of averages between Noyce and non-Noyce institutions. Ultimately, this study will examine the influence of the Noyce program on the depth of content knowledge for beginning STEM teachers as they enter the profession.