Early Childhood Science, Technology, and Engineering Education: A Meta-analysis of Learning and Teaching Innovations

儿童科学技能方面的社会人口不平等在小学低年级已经很明显，早期的差异可能会导致儿童在STEM方面的持久性和成果方面的长期差距。为了打破国家在科学教育和职业方面长期存在的巨大不平等，加强早期科学学习的干预措施至关重要。本研究综合了科学，技术和工程创新对幼儿学习和态度的累积影响，研究了关键主持人在课堂教学中发挥的作用。通过建立有关幼儿科学，技术和工程教育创新最支持儿童科学学习的条件的基本知识，这项研究推进了加强美国儿童未来STEM成就和国家科学竞争力的目标。完成后的元分析综合为研究人员，从业者和政策制定者提供了有关幼儿科学，技术和工程教育创新方法有效性的基本知识。总之，这项研究通过对幼儿期科学（技术和工程）教学方法的有效性进行基础研究，发展有助于国家利益的知识。此外，该项目还建立了一个开放式的、基于网络的仪器信息库，其中包含所有用于幼儿科学、技术和工程教育创新控制研究的评估信息。这个知识库使研究人员能够建立在现有的评估工作，从而支持在幼儿科学，技术和工程领域的知识积累。该研究项目使用现代元分析，一种统计建模工具，联合收割机结合多个科学研究的结果，对幼儿园和一年级的科学，技术和工程学习的幼儿干预。统计方法提供了对干预措施平均效果的估计。此外，元分析方法允许识别跨研究的模式，检查结果之间的分歧来源，以及检查累积的一组研究之间的有趣关系。特别是，该研究探讨了什么类型的儿童早期干预工作的模式，为谁，在什么条件下，这个研究项目是由NSF的EHR核心研究（ECR）计划支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。投资是在关键领域是必不可少的，广泛的，持久的：干学习和干学习环境，扩大参与干，干劳动力发展。该计划支持积累强有力的证据，为理解、建立理论解释、提出干预和创新建议，以应对STEM兴趣、教育、学习和参与方面的持续挑战提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Sociodemographic inequities in children's science skills are already evident in the early school grades, and early disparities may contribute to long-run gaps in children's persistence and outcomes in STEM. To disrupt the nation’s long- standing and substantial inequities in science education and careers, interventions to strengthen early science learning are critical. This research synthesizes the cumulative impact of science, technology and engineering innovations on early childhood learning and attitudes, examining the roles that critical moderators play in classroom instruction. By building basic knowledge about the conditions under which innovations in early childhood science, technology, and engineering education are most supportive of children’s science learning, this research advances the goal of strengthening U.S. children’s future STEM attainment and the nation’s science competitiveness. The completed meta-analytic synthesis provides researchers, practitioners, and policy makers with basic knowledge about the effectiveness of innovative approaches to early childhood science, technology, engineering education. In sum, the study develops knowledge that contributes to the national interest by conducting basic research on the effectiveness of approaches to science (technology, and engineering) instruction in early childhood. In addition, this project produces an open-access, Web-based library of instrument information on all assessments that have been used in controlled studies of early childhood science, technology, and engineering education innovations. This repository allows researchers to build on existing assessment efforts and thereby support the accumulation of knowledge in the early childhood science, technology, and engineering domains.The research project uses modern meta-analysis, a statistical modeling tool, to combine the results of multiple scientific studies about early childhood interventions on the learning of science, technology, and engineering in kindergarten and first grade. The statistical approach provides an estimate of the average effect across the interventions. Further, the meta-analytic approach allows for the identification of patterns across studies and the examination of sources of disagreement among the results, as well as an examination of interesting relationships across the accumulated set of studies. In particular, the research examines patterns in what types of early childhood interventions work, for whom, and under what conditions.This research project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad, and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. The program supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning and participation.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.