Collaborative Research: Youth Learning Science and Engineering while Developing Community-based Agency through Resourceful Engagement in STEM

Morgan State University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

Recent research suggests that meaningfully integrating engineering design into K-12 science instruction leads to a deeper understanding of science and engineering content and practices among students. This project will examine middle school students' learning of earth and physical science concepts, their functional understanding of engineering design, and their development of STEM interest and agency as they engage in newly developed integrated STEM curriculum units that incorporate community-based service projects. The goal of this project is to develop cognitively grounded, research-based integrated STEM units that lead to robust learning of science and engineering content and practices while cultivating students' STEM interest and agency. In collaboration with middle school teachers and their students, researchers will iteratively co-design and refine two units in which students investigate how local environmental conditions, such as water quality, temperature variability, and land use patterns, affect both human and ecological health. The iterative development of the curriculum and instruction will draw upon resources from NASA's Earth System Observatory and leverage the expertise of local scientists and engineers to support students' learning. Middle school teachers and students from rural, suburban, and urban schools across multiple states will be involved in the project. With asset-based instructional features, the units will be adaptable to a wide variety of school contexts. The project involves a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative and quasi-experimental techniques for data collection and analysis. The team will develop measures of and analyze data on students' learning of science and engineering, as well as their development of STEM interest and agency. Data from each project year will be used to develop, implement, and revise the program. The project also includes professional development for middle school science teachers, focusing on enhancing pedagogical strategies and knowledge of science and engineering content and practices. This project is funded by the Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12), which seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers through the research and development of innovative resources, models, and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. 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.