Collaborative Research: Designing for science learning in schools by leveraging participation and the power of place through community and citizen science.

当前科学教育的优先事项包括努力让学生参与科学推理，利用科学知识和实践来理解自然现象，并建设性地应对当地和全球的挑战。本项目通过为小学生及其教师开发和测试基于地点的环境科学研究和监测项目，回应了这些优先事项。学生将研究与森林健康有关的当地相关现象，如火灾管理和入侵物种。学生将收集和分析与资源管理问题相关的数据，并与社区科学家和利益相关者分享研究结果。该项目将为农村人口得不到充分服务的学校、地区和县开发并测试一种可复制、适应性强的基于地点的教学模式。这个针对3-5年级学生和教师的早期设计和开发项目有两个主要目标：1)设计和实施一个以当地森林管理问题为重点的科学教育计划，以促进社区相关的学习和代理；2)开展基于设计的研究，以确定有效的方法，让年轻学生参与有目的的数据收集和解释，并与当地利益相关者进行知情互动。这项研究包括农村地区12个学区的15所综合性公立学校和特许学校，这些学校获得通常在城市中心提供的正式和非正式科学学习机会有限。研究活动以两个研究问题为指导：1)参加以学校为基础、以社区为基础、以地方为基础、以环境为重点的项目的学生在多大程度上以何种方式发展环境科学机构？2)三个中心设计特征的哪些设计变体促进了学生的三种科学学习成果？三个核心设计特征是：1)收集与地点相关的环境数据；2)将收集到的数据嵌入到更大的数据集中，促进意义创造；3)社区参与的、基于地点的项目和互动。基于设计的研究方法将用于确定计划的设计变化如何影响学习。该项目将涉及三个设计周期，每个周期为两年，并根据每个实施周期中获得的见解进行调整。计划前和计划后的调查将用于跟踪学生环境科学机构（ESA）的变化，现场观察，对学生和教师的半结构化访谈，以及对学生作业和文物的检查将用于收集用于回答研究问题的数据。探索研究PreK-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高PreK-12学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和实证依据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Current priorities in science education include efforts to engage students in scientific reasoning and using the knowledge and practices of science to understand natural phenomena and constructively respond to local and global challenges. This project responds to these priorities by developing and testing a place-based environmental science research and monitoring program for elementary school students and their teachers. Students will investigate locally-relevant phenomena related to forest health, such as fire management and invasive species. The students will collect and analyze data related to resource management issues and share findings with community scientists and stakeholders. The project will develop and test a reproducible and adaptable place-based instructional model for schools, districts, and counties having underserved rural populations.This early stage design and development project for students and teachers of grades 3-5 addresses two major goals: 1) Design and implement a science education program focused on local forest management issues to promote community-relevant learning and agency, and 2) Conduct design-based research to identify effective approaches to engaging young students in purposeful data collection and interpretation, and informed interaction with local stakeholders. The study includes 15 comprehensive public schools and charter schools in 12 school districts in a rural region having limited access to the formal and informal science learning opportunities typically available in urban centers. Research activities are guided by two research questions: 1) To what extent and in what ways do students participating in a school-based, community-engaged, place-based, environmental-focused program develop environmental science agency? And 2) Which design variations of the three Central Design Features foster the three science learning outcomes for students? The three Central Desig Features are: 1) Collecting place-relevant environmental data, 2) Facilitated meaning-making with collected data embedded within larger data sets, and 3) Community-engaged, place-based projects and interactions. A design-based research approach will be used to determine how the planned design variations impact learning. The project will involve three design cycles of two-years each, with adjustments being based on insights gained during each implementation cycle. Pre- and post-program sureveys will be used to track changes in student environmental science agency (ESA), and field observations, semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, and examination of student work and artifacts will be used to gather data used to answer the research questions.The Discovery Research PreK-12 Program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.