NSF INCLUDES: Alliance to Strengthen the STEM Tapestry (ASSisT): Motivating Critical Identity Shifts to Weave the STEM Disenfranchised into Science and the Sustainability Workforce

这个创新的研究项目促进了科学的进步，增强了国家STEM劳动力，并通过帮助克服扩大STEM领域中代表性不足的人参与的挑战来造福社会。尽管存在许多旨在扩大参与的项目，但在“被剥夺STEM权利”的人群中，很少有人选择利用这些机会，这主要是由于他们自己的自我认同。这些人感到被疏远、边缘化或无法参与STEM。这个项目的重点是三个被剥夺stem权利的群体：1)刚从监狱释放出来的成年人；（二）被释放的少年；3)难民青年，并以现有的科学教育项目为基础。研究小组将与来自学术界、劳动力机构、非政府组织和政府机构的成员建立“加强STEM挂tapestry （ASSiST）联盟”，以探索那些过早地将身份与科学失败联系在一起的个人如何从促进自我身份转变为科学学习者的新干预措施中受益，这将引导他们探索已经存在的STEM教育和职业培训资源。三种新颖的干预措施包括戏剧活动、讲故事和生态恢复项目。这一大胆的方法旨在帮助这些人群将他们不同的学习方式与STEM劳动力、高等教育相结合，并成为具有科学意识的公民，这将增强美国在STEM领域的领导地位。ASSisT将创建一个战略计划，该计划可以与NSF的其他INCLUDES联盟相互交织，并确定将成果分配到国家层面的途径。这项工作将为其他被剥夺权利的群体提供途径，如果得到激励和指导，他们可以加强STEM劳动力和教育挂图。在美国，扩大科学参与的投资支持了大量的项目和资源，但在“被剥夺STEM权利”的人群中，很少有人选择利用这些机会，这些人感到被疏远、边缘化或无法参与STEM，最重要的是由于他们自己的自我认同。拟议的“加强STEM挂毯联盟（ASSisT）”将开展新的干预措施研究，旨在引导这些个人利用已有的科学教育和培训资源。最初的重点是：1)刚从监狱释放的成年人；（二）被释放的少年；3)难民青年。ASSisT将采用集体影响方法进行早期探索性研究，以调查该项目的新干预措施(1)生态恢复，2)讲故事/自我民族志，以及3)设计戏剧)如何将参与者转向自我认同，并随后参与STEM社区。我们的方法的智力价值是建立在社会科学研究的基础上的，特别是身份理论、社会认知理论和弹性理论。采用一组前测后测设计，定性研究技术将确定哪些因素对促进变革最关键，例如，STEM学科的感知能力，自我感知与STEM学科的一致性，掌握STEM劳动力技能，和/或成为具有STEM意识的公民的重要性。更广泛的影响直接涉及到NSF呼吁女性和未被充分代表的种族和社会经济少数群体更多地参与STEM，这对该试点项目的最初30名队列成员产生了影响。协助将：创建一个共同的议程；招募每一个被剥夺stem权利的群体；设计和实施试验新干预措施的研究；绘制STEM机会图；评估和分析结果；阐明一个战略计划，可以与NSF的其他包括联盟交织在一起；并确定将成果和基准传播到国家一级的途径。

This innovative research project promotes the progress of science, enhances the national STEM workforce, and benefits society by helping to overcome the challenge of broadening participation of those who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Although many programs designed to broaden participation exist, few individuals in "STEM-disenfranchised" populations -- individuals who feel alienated, marginalized, or incapable of participating in STEM -- choose to make use of these opportunities, due mainly to their own self-identities. This project's focus is on three STEM-disenfranchised groups: 1) adults who have been recently released from incarceration; 2) youth who have been released from juvenile custody; and 3) refugee youth, and builds on existing science education programs. The research team will establish the "Alliance to Strengthen the STEM Tapestry (ASSiST)" -- with members from academia, workforce agencies, NGOs, and government agencies -- to explore how individuals who have an identity prematurely tied to failure in science might benefit from novel interventions that promote a shift of self-identity to becoming science learners, which will then lead them to explore STEM education and job training resources that already exist. Three novel interventions will involve drama activities, story- telling, and ecological restoration projects. This bold approach is designed to help these populations interweave their diverse ways of knowing with STEM workforce, higher education, and to become science-aware citizens, which will enhance U.S. leadership in STEM. ASSisT will create a strategic plan that can be interwoven with those of other NSF INCLUDES Alliances, and identify pathways to distribute outcomes to a national level. This work will provide pathways to bring other groups that are disenfranchised and who -- if motivated and directed -- could strengthen the STEM workforce and education tapestry.Investments to broaden participation in science in the USA have supported abundant programs and resources, but few individual in "STEM-disenfranchised" populations -- individuals who feel alienated, marginalized, or incapable of participating in STEM -- choose to make use of these opportunities, due most significantly to their own self-identities. The proposed "Alliance to Strengthen the STEM Tapestry (ASSisT)" will carry out research on novel interventions that are designed to lead these individuals to avail themselves of the science education and training resources that already exist. The initial focus is on: 1) adults who have been recently released from incarceration; 2) youth who have been released from juvenile custody; and 3) refugee youth. Using a collective impact approach, ASSisT will carry out early-exploratory research to investigate how the project's novel interventions -- 1) ecological restoration, 2) story-telling/autoethnography, and 3) devised theater -- might shift participants towards self-identification and subsequent involvement with the STEM community. The Intellectual Merit of our approach is grounded in social science research, specifically, identity theory, social cognitive theory, and resilience theory. Using a one-group pretest-posttest design, qualitative research techniques will identify which elements are most critical to foster change, e.g., perceived competence in STEM subjects, congruence of self-perception with those in STEM, mastery of STEM workforce skills, and/or the importance of being a STEM-aware citizen. Broader impacts relate directly to NSF's call for greater STEM participation of women and underrepresented ethnic and socioeconomic minorities with impacts on the initial 30 cohort members for this pilot project. ASSisT will: create a common agenda; recruit cohorts of each STEM-disenfranchised group; design and implement research to test novel interventions; populate a STEM opportunities map; evaluate and analyze outcomes; articulate a strategic plan that can be interwoven with those of other NSF INCLUDES Alliances; and identify pathways to disseminate outcomes and benchmarks to a national level.