Collaborative Research: INSITE: INtegrating STEM Into Transition Education for Incarcerated Learners

该项目将调查基于通用学习设计(UDL)应用程序的课程对STEM职业知识、兴趣、能力和为被监禁青年做好准备的影响。将STEM整合到针对被监禁学习者的过渡教育(INSITE)将把STEM劳动力发展活动整合到Merging Worlds中，这是一个得到经验支持的过渡计划，并通过基于UDL App的框架提供，以准备和支持STEM为14-19岁的被监禁青年提供职业准备和就业。INSITE将利用基于设计的研究方法(1)与被监禁的学习者、青少年司法教育工作者和STEM雇主共同设计INSITE课程，以及(2)测试课程对STEM就业结果的影响。INSITE课程将基于对被监禁青年、STEM教育、过渡、累犯和劳动力发展的循证研究。课程将准备和支持职业准备，以调解有限的机会，接触和技能发展的影响，为具有巨大潜力的未开发的STEM劳动力。社会认知职业理论(SCCT)将作为理论框架，指导支持INSITE课程开发的研究活动。其理论基础是，该理论允许背景负担和障碍可能影响个人的职业选择和行动。研究问题是(1)监狱学员如何准备过渡到STEM劳动力？(2)监狱学员在释放后经历哪些类型的STEM劳动力结果？(3)STEM过渡课程的哪些功能组成部分？(4)INSITE课程以什么方式影响STEM职业准备和被监禁青年的职业行动？以及(5)情境变量和认知变量对STEM职业准备和被监禁青年职业行为的影响是什么？数据将在迭代设计和测试阶段收集，这些阶段采用纵向、准实验和定性案例研究。INSITE将根据研究问题和相关研究计划生产六个主题的产品。这些发现预计将记录一种新的干预措施的影响，该干预措施为STEM劳动力培养服务不足的人口。该项目由EHR核心研究计划资助，该计划支持STEM基础教育研究，重点关注STEM学习和学习环境、扩大STEM领域的参与和STEM劳动力发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project will investigate the impact of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) App-based curriculum on STEM career knowledge, interests, competencies, and readiness for incarcerated youth. Integrating STEM into Transition Education for Incarcerated Learners (INSITE) will integrate STEM workforce development activities into Merging Worlds, an empirically supported transition program, and deliver it through a UDL App-based framework to prepare and support STEM career readiness and employment for incarcerated youth age 14-19. INSITE will utilize a Design-based Research approach to (1) co-design the INSITE curriculum with incarcerated learners, juvenile justice educators, and STEM employers, and (2) test the impact of the curriculum on STEM employment outcomes. The INSITE curriculum will be grounded in evidence-based research on incarcerated youth, STEM education, transition, recidivism, and workforce development. The curriculum will prepare and support career readiness that mediates the impact of limited access, exposure, and skill development for an untapped STEM workforce with vast potential.The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) will serve as the theoretical framework to guide the research activities supporting the INSITE curriculum development. The rationale is that the theory allows for the contextual affordances and barriers that can influence individuals' career choices and actions. The research questions are (1) How prepared are incarcerated learners to transition to the STEM workforce? (2) What types of STEM workforce outcomes are incarcerated learners experiencing post-release? (3) What are the functional components of a STEM transition curriculum? (4) In what ways does the INSITE curriculum impact STEM career readiness and career actions of incarcerated youth? and (5) What are the roles of contextual variables and cognitive variables on STEM career readiness and career actions for incarcerated youth? Data will be collected in iterative design and test phases that employ longitudinal, quasi-experimental, and qualitative case studies. INSITE will produce products across six topics aligned with the research questions and associated research plan. The findings are expected to document the impact of a novel intervention that prepares an underserved population for the STEM workforce.The project is funded by the EHR Core Research program that supports fundamental STEM education research that focuses on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development.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.