Collaborative Research: Investigating STEM Teacher Preparation and Rural Teacher Persistence and Retention

该项目旨在满足国家解决农村社区STEM教师短缺问题的需要。在过去的一个世纪里，为学校配备高素质的STEM教师一直是农村学校面临的一个长期挑战，然而，到目前为止，用于改善教师教育的资源相对较少，以便为教师在农村工作做准备。解决美国农村地区STEM教师队伍的需求对学生未来的成功至关重要。该项目旨在通过关注教育者准备计划(EPPS)如何应对农村和农村地区STEM教学的独特背景，来应对STEM教师队伍的挑战。此外，它还试图确定支持农村STEM教师招聘、留住和坚持不懈的教育者培养方案的方案特征。该项目由密西西比州立大学牵头，与13个合作伙伴(德克萨斯A&M大学、斯蒂芬·F·奥斯汀大学、威斯康星河瀑布大学、海斯堡州立大学、克拉克森大学、肯塔基大学、阿拉巴马伯明翰大学、德克萨斯理工大学、莫尔黑德州立大学、德克萨斯A&M大学、温斯罗普大学、阿拉巴马A&M大学和北达科他州立大学)合作，有三个主要目标。首先是调查EPP特征对项目完成者的教学意向以及他们在农村STEM课堂上的坚持性(继续在同一学校任教)和保持(继续在新学校任教)的影响。第二是进行深入思考，在合作伙伴的教育者培训方案内进行方案调整，旨在增加农村学校获得有效教育的公平机会。第三是分享关于EPP计划特征的新兴知识，这些特征支持计划补充者的教学意图，他们在完成EPP后的就业决定，以及他们在农村安置中的坚持和保留。指导这项研究的总体假设是，通过包括背景(例如，解决农村教学的优势和挑战以及对农村地区的刻板印象)、课程(例如，注重以地点为基础的教学和农村实地经验)和传输(例如，从农村招聘或在线交付)等方案特征明确解决乡村问题的EPP将支持农村学校的招聘、保留和持续，这可以为农村学校带来更多样化和更有效的STEM教师队伍。需要进行研究，以了解这些方案特点的影响，以便指导为农村学校和社区服务的教育者培养方案的设计和实施。这一基础研究项目采用纵向、重复测量、混合方法的研究设计，美国各地的14个合作伙伴将确定针对乡村的计划特征，并跟踪计划完成者的教学、坚持和保留意图，从而产生证据，这些证据将在内部(向合作伙伴)和更广泛的受众(例如STEM教育、教师教育和农村教育社区)传播。数据来源包括课程人工制品，如学位计划、课程大纲、实地安置数据和评估数据；对项目教职员工的采访；以及两次调查，以获取一段时间内的人口统计数据、就业数据和三个结果变量。这项合作研究的更广泛的影响目标是创造可操作的知识，以支持农村STEM教师的坚持不懈和留住。这个Track 4：Noyce研究项目是由Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划(Noyce)支持的。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性、保留率和有效性的研究。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 aims to serve the national need of addressing STEM teacher shortages in rural communities. Staffing schools with high quality STEM teachers has been a persistent challenge for rural schools for the past century, however, to date, relatively few resources have been allocated toward the improvement of teacher education to prepare teachers to work in rural settings. Addressing STEM teacher workforce needs in rural America is critical for future student success. This project aims to address STEM teacher workforce challenges through a focus on how educator preparation programs (EPPs) address the unique contexts of rurality and teaching STEM in rural settings. Moreover, it seeks to identify the programmatic features of educator preparation programs that support rural STEM teacher recruitment, retention, and persistence. This project, led by Mississippi State University with thirteen collaborative partners (Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Wisconsin River Falls, Fort Hayes State University, Clarkson University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama Birmingham, Texas Tech University, Morehead State University, Texas A&M University- Commerce, Winthrop University, Alabama A&M University, and North Dakota State University) has three main goals. First is to investigate the impact of EPP features on program completers’ intention to teach as well as their persistence (continuing to teach at the same school) and retention (continuing to teach but at a new school) in rural STEM classrooms. Second is to engage in deep reflection leading to programmatic adjustments within collaborating partners’ educator preparation programs intended to increase equitable access to effective instruction for rural schools. Third is to share emerging knowledge about programmatic features of EPPs that support program completers’ intention to teach, their employment decisions after completing the EPP, and their persistence and retention in rural placements. The overarching hypothesis guiding this study is that EPPs that explicitly address rurality through programmatic features including context (e.g., addressing the strengths and challenges of rural teaching and stereotypes about rural places), curriculum (e.g., a focus on place-based instruction and rural field experiences), and conveyance (e.g., recruiting from rural or online delivery) will support recruitment, retention, and persistence in rural schools, which can lead to a more diverse and effective STEM teaching force for rural schools. Research is needed to understand the impact of these programmatic features in order to guide the design and delivery of educator preparation programs that serve rural schools and communities. This foundational research project uses a longitudinal, repeated-measures, mixed-methods research design in which 14 collaborating partners across the U.S. will identify programmatic features that address rurality and track program completers’ intentions to teach, persistence, and retention and thus produce evidence that will be disseminated both internally (to collaborating partners) and to broader audiences (e.g., STEM education, teacher education, and rural education communities). Data sources include curricular artifacts such as degree plans, course syllabi, field placement data, and assessment data; interviews with program faculty; and two surveys to capture demographic data, employment data, and the three outcome variables over time. The broader impact aim of this collaborative research is to create actionable knowledge to support rural STEM teacher persistence and retention. This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.