REU Site: Engaging Student Teachers in STEM Education Research

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Kentucky will provide an academic year undergraduate research experience for preservice STEM teachers. It will host three cohorts of eight students, engaging a total of 24 students over the three-year award period. The long-term goal of the project is to improve K-12 students’ STEM knowledge, understanding, and skills. The project’s core strategy to achieve that goal is to develop a larger and better-prepared K-12 STEM teacher population. Site activities will use evidence-based educational practices and focus on developing higher order thinking skills and deep conceptual STEM understanding. The project will engage pre-service teachers as undergraduate research fellows, who will pursue STEM education research focused on local educational issues with national and international implications. In this work, the fellows will be mentored by eight experienced faculty in the University of Kentucky's STEM Education Department. This REU site intends to increase the fellows’ knowledge of the interplay between society, education, and research, especially the multiple transformative ways that STEM literacy can be attained across diverse learner populations. Another intended outcome is increased interest of students from diverse populations in STEM education research. Towards this end, the REU will recruit students from Bluegrass Community and Technical College and from specialized programs for specific student populations. This three-year project will immerse eight undergraduate research fellows each year in the design, execution, analysis, and communication of authentic STEM education research. The fellows will contribute new knowledge to the collective understanding of pedagogical practices and consequences influencing urban, rural, and suburban K-12 STEM education. Thus, this project will offer fellows an opportunity to do research most pertinent to modern K-12 STEM educator practice. Through these activities, undergraduates will learn how to consult the research literature for relevant background theory and methods pertaining to STEM education problems, cultivate technical expertise and meticulous habits of data collection and record-keeping, develop proficiency with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, improve writing and presentation skills, and earn valuable experience working with an active and successful team of educator-researchers. This REU stands out due to its academic-year (August through May) implementation period. The fellows’ experience will culminate with a presentation at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research. It is expected that this work will be developed into a journal article by the research team and submitted for publication. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program is cofunding this project in recognition of its alignment with the broader teacher preparation goals of the Noyce effort. The Advanced Technological Education program is cofunding this project in recognition of its alignment with the broader goals of providing research experiences to community college STEM students. 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.