STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Teachers' Interpretation, Implementation, and Assessment of Chemistry Information Literacy in K-12 Students

Effective Years: 2022-2026

To meaningfully understand a discipline, students not only need to remember concepts but also understand how those concepts connect to one another. Understanding connections between concepts requires students to engage with their discipline in ways such as using visual representations (e.g. diagrams and graphs), experimental activities (e.g. testing hypotheses), societal influences (e.g. the nature of science and society), and information literacy (e.g. how information is presented and used). This project focuses specifically on information literacy. The Next Generation Science Standards was a major step towards a unified vision that guides reform-based teaching and learning of science. Teachers also need a framework for implementing critical information literacies. This project is designed to create resources that complement the Next Generation Science Standards by examining information literacy practices and beliefs during K-12 Chemistry content instruction. In the process, the project is also designed to further develop the principal investigator’s STEM education research expertise. The project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) program, which is designed to build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research. This study will adopt a threshold concepts framework (Timmermans and Meyer, 2019) to capture perspectives from multiple data sources informing the development of a survey instrument. Threshold concepts are ideas that lead to a transformed way of understanding, interpreting, or viewing something, such as "enthalpy" in Chemistry. A key component of a threshold concepts framework is the inclusion of stakeholders (e.g., K-12 teachers, instructors of higher education, policy advisors, and education researchers) in the development and interpretations of threshold concepts. More than 1,000 K-12 stakeholders will participate in survey development and implementation process through focus groups, interviews, classroom video observations, and survey responses that examine information literacies in K-12 Chemistry content. The principal investigator (PI) will use analytical techniques including multiple level analysis, Likert scale validation, thematic analysis, computational test analysis, and network analysis. The principal investigator will be mentored by an expert in K-12 STEM education research and supported by an advisory board of K-12 STEM education and disciplinary literacy experts. During this project, the PI will complete coursework to develop proficiencies with survey design and education policy evaluation. The study is designed to 1) increase clarity of information literacy definitions held by K-12 stakeholders and how they are enacted in the classroom; 2) improve information literacy implementation in K-12 chemistry content; and 3) foster continued collaborative networks and partnerships to increase the effectiveness of information literacies in K-12 chemistry content. 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.