STEM Learning and Learning Environments  

Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research on College Student Success and Retention

Effective Years: 2025-2028

The NSF ECR Building Capacity of STEM Education Research (BCSER) program contributes to the NSF mission 42 U.S. Code Chapter 16 by building the US workforce undertaking STEM education research. The BCSER Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research (IID) track supports individual investigators who are new to STEM education research to develop foundational skills and gain practical experience to advance STEM education knowledge through mentored professional development and pilot research activities. STEM education research generates the knowledge, theories, and understandings on which viable strategies for improving STEM education and workforce outcomes are based. This project will advance knowledge on the impact of supportive validation on the major and career self-efficacy of first-year college students in STEM in addition to expanding the skills of the PI in mixed methods research. This BCSER IID project will allow the PI to develop foundational skills and gain practical experience in designing and implementing cutting edge STEM education research using innovative methods and tools. The project will assist the PI to develop new expertise in mixed methods research and data analyses of STEM education research data under the guidance of experienced experts in engineering education. 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.