Project RESET: Refugee Youth Engaging in Critical STEM Literacy and Learning

该项目由推进非正式STEM学习计划资助，该计划旨在推进非正式环境中科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。在过去十年中，大约有100万难民在美国重新定居，其中许多是学龄青年。在中学期间，重新安置的难民青年通常仍在发展英语语言素养和STEM技能，这是在美国获得成功的高等教育经验所必需的。与此同时，这些年轻人带来了丰富的文化和语言资源，他们可以把这些资源作为一种资产，用来培养他们的STEM技能，为未来的成功做好准备，并对美国社会产生积极影响。为了促进这些资产并使青年参与发展STEM素养，这个课后项目使这些青年参与关键的STEM素养发展。该项目侧重于STEM学习，特别是人类生活与气候之间的关系，以及培养青少年的STEM身份和能动性。该项目将制定并实施以社区为基础的课后计划，为重新安置的缅甸难民青年提供STEM学习经验。通过借鉴年轻人的经验，该项目将吸引年轻人学习气候科学，并编写数字故事，与更广泛的受众进行交流。为此，该团队将实施一项以响应式教学、知识基金和英语读写能力发展原则为基础的项目，在真实的意义创造环境中开展该项目。该项目将研究青年如何扩展他们的STEM知识，发展STEM身份和能动性，并发展他们在参与课外项目内外就STEM进行交流的专业知识。研究团队将利用民族志、影像民族志、媒介话语分析、访谈现象学和民族方法学分析等原则，探索现有的和创新的数据收集和分析方法。这些分析将记录非正式STEM学习环境中随时间的学习情况。由于在这一人群中很少有关于STEM学习的研究，因此该项目将产生有关如何支持STEM意义构建和关键STEM素养的知识。此外，通过测试设计的课程并与当地社区组织建立伙伴关系，该项目将建立扩大非正式STEM学习实践参与的能力。

This project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understandings of, the design and development of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning in informal environments. Roughly one million refugees resettled in the United States in the past decade, many of whom are school-aged youth. During secondary school, resettled refugee youth are often still developing English language literacy and STEM skills needed for successful postsecondary experiences in the United States. At the same time, these youth bring rich cultural and linguistic resources that they can use as an asset as they grow their STEM skill sets, prepare for future success, and make positive impacts on U.S. society. To promote these assets and engage youth in developing STEM literacy, this after-school program engages these youth in critical STEM literacy development. The project focuses on STEM learning, specifically the relationship between human life and climate, as well as developing youths' STEM identities and agency. The project will develop and implement a community-based afterschool program that provides resettled Burmese refugee youth with STEM learning experiences. By drawing upon youths' experiences, the program will engage youth in learning about climate science and developing digital stories to communicate with broader audiences. To do so, the team will implement a program that builds on principles of responsive teaching, funds of knowledge, and English literacy development in authentic meaning-making contexts. The project will examine how youth expand their STEM knowledge, develop STEM identities and agency, and develop their expertise in communicating about STEM within and beyond their participation in the after-school program. The research team will explore existing and innovative data collection and analysis methods by drawing on principles of ethnography, video ethnography, mediated discourse analysis, and phenomenological and ethnomethodological analysis of interviews. These analyses will document learning over time in informal STEM learning settings. As there is very little prior research on STEM learning in this population, this project will generate knowledge about how to support STEM sense-making and critical STEM literacy. Furthermore, by testing the designed curriculum and building a partnership with a local community organization, the project will build capacity for broadening participation in informal STEM learning practices.