Institute for Measurement Methods in Rural STEM Education

农村STEM教育测量方法研究所的目标是提高研究人员测量和研究农村STEM教育研究的关键概念的能力。利用测量科学和统一的效度框架，沉浸式培训将使STEM、社会科学和教育领域的农村研究人员能够进行关注农村的实证研究。具体地说，沉浸式体验的参与者将获得技能，以推动农村STEM教育研究领域朝着更一致的操作定义和重要结构的心理测量方法发展，例如，以场所为基础的教育和社区参与。Immerse将招募两批20名参与者(研究员)参加为期一周的强化夏季培训，努力从农村地区代表性不足的群体和为少数群体服务的机构招聘研究人员。暑期培训结束后，将为沉浸式研究员提供持续的指导、指导和对他们的测量研究项目的反馈。在测量方法和农村STEM教育方面，核心教师和国家公认的专家将为研究员提供指导和支持。沉浸研究员将在第二年夏天的虚拟峰会上介绍他们的MEASure开发项目的结果。通过与全国农村教育协会的合作，沉浸研究员开发的措施将成为他们网站上的知识库的一部分，供其他农村研究人员使用。这一奖项反映了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 goal of the Institute for Measurement MEthodology in Rural STEM Education (IMMERSE) is to increase the capacity of researchers to measure and study key concepts central to rural STEM education research. Drawing on measurement science and a unified validity framework, the IMMERSE training will enable rural researchers in STEM, social sciences, and education to undertake empirical studies that attend to rurality. Specifically, participants in the IMMERSE experience will obtain the skills to advance the field of rural STEM education research towards more consistent operational definitions and psychometrically sound measures of important constructs, for example, place-based education and community engagement. IMMERSE will recruit two cohorts of 20 participants (Fellows) to engage in an intensive week-long summer training, with efforts to recruit researchers from underrepresented groups and minority-serving institutions in rural areas. Following the summer training, IMMERSE Fellows will then be provided on-going instruction, mentoring, and feedback on their measurement research projects. Fellows will be provided instruction and support from core faculty and nationally recognized experts in measurement methodology and rural STEM education throughout. IMMERSE Fellows will present the results of their measure development projects at a virtual summit the following summer. Through a partnership with the National Rural Education Association, the measures developed by IMMERSE Fellows will become part of a repository on their website for other rural researchers to use.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.