Effective: 2017-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David S Knight

Institutions: University of Washington, University of Texas at El Paso

Growth in the demand for workers with math and science skills places competing challenges for K-12 education. Schools are expected to prepare a new and more diverse group of leaders for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industries, yet teachers with math and science training are increasingly valuable in the private sector. Teacher shortages, primarily in the fields of math and science, often require school leaders to fill positions with under-qualified teachers. Research is...

Effective: 2017-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Julie J Park

Institution: University of Maryland, College Park

In the higher education settings for Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM), social ties and social capital contain critical resources that students need to understand through college and beyond. Deeper exploration of social capital and its impact on differing populations and how it may hinder equity in STEM education and workforce advancement is needed. The research examines the effect of social ties and social capital on key outcomes such as retention and job placement for STEM...

Effective: 2017-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Marvin Powell

Institution: George Mason University

The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. To that end, this research project will collect data about the experiences, beliefs, and praxis of Black mathematics teachers from historical and contemporary perspectives to: (a) inform recruitment and retention efforts; and (b) contribute to theory building. This study is highly important since the number of Black mathematics educators choosing to teach mathematics at the...

Effective: 2017-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Jenefer E Husman, Idalis Villanueva

Institutions: University of Oregon Eugene, Utah State University, University of Florida

A strong engineering workforce is critical to maintaining a dynamic and innovative United States economy. Engineering programs present considerable challenges, including the need to motivate students and the need for students to have positive attitudes toward learning. Prior research demonstrates that high motivation and positive attitudes towards learning occur when students feel in control of their own learning, place a high value on what they are studying, can regulate their anxiety, and...

Effective: 2017-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Barbara L Schneider

Institution: Michigan State University

The EHR Core Research (ECR) program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. To that end, this project will extend the purpose of the College Ambition Program (CAP), a school-wide intervention designed to encourage high school students to become college applicants, particularly in STEM fields, and enroll in postsecondary school. The CAP will serve predominantly minority and low-income high school students and those with special needs...

Effective: 2017-2019

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Bryna R Kra

Institution: Northwestern University

Northwestern University will host a summer workshop for women undergraduates in mathematics to motivate them to pursue graduate school and mathematics research careers. The project is the third workshop organized by the investigators to address barriers that impact the proportion of women transitioning from undergraduate to graduate school and the workforce. It is modeled as an intervention based on data about the progression of undergraduate women students in mathematics, documented barriers...

Effective: 2017-2018

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Darnell Cole

Institution: University of Southern California

The University of Southern California will conduct a workshop to identify and address issues that impact career pathways for African American students in physics and astronomy. Diverse experts from Pk-12, higher education, industry, and professional societies will convene to (1) identify evidence-based approaches to mitigating barriers to African American students? academic performance and workforce participation, (2) discuss strategies for more rigorous, third-party evaluations of programs or...

Effective: 2017-2018

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Shari Gardner

Institution: SRI International

The Education and Human Resources Core Research (ECR) program funds fundamental research on education and workforce development in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) focused on STEM Learning and Learning Environments, Broadening Participation in STEM, and STEM Workforce Development. The convening will bring together researchers who have been funded by ECR to share their research results and ongoing studies to better inform the continuing research funded by the program....

Effective: 2016-2024

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Hal Salzman

Institution: Rutgers University New Brunswick

Science and engineering education and career trajectories will be examined in a mixed methods research study, using large, administrative datasets and fieldwork, in a collaboration of Rutgers University New Brunswick with the University of Michigan. This study of the critical choice points in the career trajectories of undergraduate and master's students in science and engineering will provide insight to researchers and educators about key factors that bring students into STEM pathways and some...

Effective: 2016-2022

Funding Type: CAREER

Principal Investigator: Marilyne Stains

Institutions: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Virginia Main Campus

National initiatives to improve undergraduate science education build upon decades of research on and development of effective teaching practices. These evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) promote students' conceptual understanding and favorable attitudes about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with the greatest impacts observed among women and members of underrepresented groups. By improving retention rates and attracting a more diverse student population to...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Erik D Jacobson

Institution: Indiana University

Understanding how elementary teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching develops and how it influences instruction and student learning has been a persistent challenge in mathematics education. Very few measures exist that allow researchers to reliably assess the nature of teachers' mathematical knowledge. The purpose of this study is develop measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching in both novice and experienced elementary teachers to more effectively assess teacher knowledge and its...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Amy Shelton

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

The ability to understand and reason about the spatial relationships among objects supports children's academic readiness and achievements in math and reading yet, we know little about when they emerge or how to improve them during early development. One of the earliest and most accessible windows into spatial skills is children's block play--building structures with physical blocks. Building with blocks is surprisingly complex, which makes it difficult to characterize in detail how children...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Matthew T Hora, Benjamin Zwickl

Institutions: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rochester Institute of Tech

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Rochester Institute of Technology will implement a collaborative project to investigate whether specific 21st century competencies are being cultivated in postsecondary classrooms and workplace training, and the cultural, organizational, and systemic factors that support or impede such practices. Researchers will also examine how educators and employers define critical workforce competencies, student and employee experiences with education/training...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Shannon Dingman, Lisa A Kasmer, Travis Olson, Dawn Teuscher

Institutions: University of Arkansas, Grand Valley State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Brigham Young University

Teachers are crucial to improving mathematics instruction in the US. Improvements in understanding teachers' knowledge about mathematics for teaching have led to improvements in teacher education and professional development. However, there are gaps in the understanding of mathematics knowledge for teaching, including how teachers reason about curriculum. Because curricular resources, including textbooks, continue to be important resources and tools for teachers, understanding how teachers...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: John C Stewart

Institution: West Virginia University Research Corporation

Researchers at West Virginia University will develop a new theoretical framework for STEM departure that will detail the reasons why students leave STEM majors. The research extends Tinto's university departure model to include the career exploration process where a student leaves STEM but remains in college. The framework will be developed and tested by extensive measurement of demographic, social, academic, affective (self-efficacy, self-esteem, belonging), career exploration/aspirations and...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Kathy DeerInWater

Institution: American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

This project will result in a literature review of studies of American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian and STEM education and learning as well as studies that include Indigenous populations as part of a larger underrepresented racial and ethnic minority group. The ultimate educational significance of this project is to identify practical strategies to address the extreme dearth of Native Americans in STEM education and careers. The outcomes of this project will set the stage for...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Marie S Hammond

Institution: Tennessee State University

Researchers at Tennessee State University will study the role of professional, social, and cultural identities on career choice and commitment among underrepresented minorities. They will expand the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by examining factors such as problem solving, decision making, goal setting, and managing goal pursuit that are not articulated in the current model. As critical as self-efficacy is in the process of developing one?s interests, making career choices, and...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Pamela Anderson

Institution: ETR Associates

Researchers at ETR Associates will conduct a mixed methods longitudinal study on the malleable factors that affect community college students? persistence in information and communications technologies (ICT) classes and careers. The project involves a partnership between a research organization, about 25 community colleges, and five external advisors with expertise in higher education research, policy, and teaching. It will test and extend theories of student persistence and build on the team?s...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Mick Cunningham, Jennifer DeBoer, Julie Kmec

Institutions: Western Washington University, Purdue University, Washington State University

Non-technical AbstractWomen's participation in engineering is a crucial national priority. The shortage of engineers in the US weakens the country's position as a leader in the global market and restricts our capacity to solve infrastructural challenges. This project involves research in four countries (Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia) to assess the contextual factors that encourage women's participation in engineering in tertiary education and as a career. In three of the four...

Effective: 2016-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: James F Bowring, Louise Lyon

Institutions: College of Charleston, ETR Associates

ETR Associates and the College of Charleston will conduct a collaborative research project that is designed to increase diversity in computer science by exploring whether boot camps build students' adaptive expertise and how the actual preparation aligns with computing workforce expectations for knowledge and competencies. The study will be conducted in Silicon Valley in California and Silicon Harbor in South Carolina and will yield (1) models of the attributes of effective software developers...

Effective: 2015-2023

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Erin A Cech, Tom J Waidzunas

Institutions: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Temple University

This award is supported the EHR Core Research (ECR) program. ECR emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. This research project is making contributions to the field in the areas of STEM workforce development and broadening participation in STEM. The proposed work is advancing basic understanding about the intersectional mechanisms of disadvantage, at the interpersonal, organizational and professional levels, for underrepresented groups...

Effective: 2015-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Kimberlee Shauman

Institution: University of California-Davis

This proposal was submitted in response to EHR Core Research (ECR) program announcement NSF 15-509. As part of ECR, this project is funded by the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program. GSE seeks to understand and address gender-based differences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce participation through education and implementation research that will lead to a larger and more diverse domestic STEM workforce. This study will...

Effective: 2015-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Maura J Borrego, David Knight

Institutions: University of Texas at Austin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will conduct a mixed methods research project to better understand how various mechanisms of funding - fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, etc. - influence students' pursuit of doctorates in STEM and subsequent employment. The project will produce empirical evidence and a conceptual framework to inform the improvement of graduate student funding policies and...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Peter Youngs

Institution: University of Virginia Main Campus

Preparing large numbers of elementary teachers to enact high-quality or ambitious mathematics instruction is a central policy challenge in the U.S. While several studies have tried to identify linkages between features of teacher preparation and student achievement outcomes, few large-scale studies have addressed the relationship between teacher preparation and ambitious mathematics instruction, a more proximal outcome. To meet the need for ambitious mathematics instruction, a more robust...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Andrew M Brantlinger, Laurel A Cooley

Institutions: University of Maryland, College Park, CUNY Brooklyn College

The goal of the research project is to describe the features of selective alternative teacher certification programs (ATCPs) that affect selective route mathematics teachers' (SRMT) professional pathways and to make informed recommendations to decrease the current high teacher turnover. While selective ATCPs are intended to address issues of teacher staffing and quality by recruiting high achieving graduates of the nation's most competitive colleges and career changers with impressive resumes,...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Cheryl Cass, Adam Kirn

Institutions: North Carolina State University, Board of Regents, NSHE, obo University of Nevada, Reno

This work is supported by the 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...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: John D Coley

Institution: Northeastern University

The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate 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. This project will integrate research on STEM learning in developmental cognitive science and science education to investigate how cognitive aspects of informal biology facilitate or impede...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Jason Owen-Smith, Bruce A Weinberg

Institutions: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ohio State University

Ohio State University and the University of Michigan are investigating factors that affect graduate student pathways to non-academic careers. The interdisciplinary research team examines two research questions: (1) What are the pathways that graduate students take into non-academic careers? and (2) What is the role of their training environments, including faculty sponsors and networks, in guiding those pathways? To investigate these questions, the researchers will develop a data infrastructure...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Julie C Libarkin

Institution: Michigan State University

Researchers at Michigan State University will investigate the relationship between mentoring and career development in Earth System Science (ESS) with a particular focus on diverse populations. The researchers argue that increasing diversity in ESS can be addressed through 1) an exploration of how relationship development during mentoring impacts career satisfaction and sense of belonging, 2) an analysis of how different groups respond to mentoring, and 3) a synthesis of research findings into...

Effective: 2015-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Ebony O McGee

Institution: Vanderbilt University

The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate 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. As part of ECR, this project is funded by the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program. GSE seeks to understand and address gender-based differences in science,...

Effective: 2015-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Robert Bozick

Institution: Rand Corporation

The research project will examine an industry-college collaborative model to align workforce development strategies to employment needs in a sector-specific economy. The research team will conduct a mixed-methods research study in the context of the Marcellus ShaleNET Program ? a unique partnership between the energy sector and a consortium of colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. Through this partnership, local employers have designed sub-baccalaureate credentialing...

Effective: 2015-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Russell M Gersten

Institution: RG Research Group

Learning of fractions is a significant barrier for many in further study of mathematics and thus other science, technology, and engineering disciplines. Many students identified as struggling learners of mathematics are provided with interventions that focus on simplifying the complexity and breaking up the task into small discrete pieces, which is counter to the recommendations on supporting students in learning mathematics from the mathematics education community. The rigorous, large-scale...

Effective: 2015-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Richard M Ingersoll

Institution: University of Pennsylvania

The attrition of teachers from teaching is a major public policy issue. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers, in particular, leave the profession even when they are making progress toward becoming excellent teachers. The project will identify both causes of teacher attrition and practices that support new teachers and contribute to persistence in the profession. The project will analyze data from the newly released nationally representative large-scale, longitudinal...

Effective: 2015-2017

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Jody Bintz

Institution: BSCS Science Learning

This ECR synthesis project will build consensus on the key attributes of high-quality math/science teacher leadership development programs. 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...

Effective: 2015-2017

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: David A Beck

Institution: University of Washington

The University of Washington will host a national workshop where graduate students in data science disciplines will interact to explore data science grand challenges in a collaborative environment. The project will implement a novel idea and advance the understanding of how to develop data science communities by engaging graduate students, academia, and industry. It also addresses an important national need for researchers with cross-disciplinary training in data science and serves as a...

Effective: 2015-2016

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Andrew Bernat

Institution: Computing Research Association

Data intensive research for many scientific disciplines has changed the basic research methods for those disciplines. For example large plant genomic data bases have changed how research is done in plant biology where analyzing the genes in the data base becomes a critical component of plant genetics research. This workshop addresses the emerging discipline of data intensive research in education through case studies of how data intensive research emerged in other disciplines. The workshop is a...

Effective: 2015-2016

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Suzanne T Ortega

Institution: Council of Graduate Schools

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) will plan and host an intensive workshop to design an instrument for universities to be able to collect and disaggregate information on the career pathways of STEM PhD students and alumni. The project includes two preparatory meetings with key stakeholders (one focused on disciplinary societies and the other focused on graduate deans and provosts), and a workshop where participants will develop a survey instrument and a framework document to guide...

Effective: 2014-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Jennifer L Glass, Sharon Sassler

Institutions: University of Texas at Austin, Cornell University

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University are implementing a project to understand large gender differences in occupational retention among STEM graduates in early career, with a particular emphasis on investigating the roles played by employment conditions, alternative job opportunities, and workplace climate in retaining recent graduates or propelling them into non-STEM fields. Various studies report considerable attrition within the first few years of...

Effective: 2014-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Steven A Schneider

Institution: WestEd

WestEd proposes to study the Technical Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) program. TEALS, a pioneering work-place intervention of the non-profit Microsoft YouthSpark program, provides multi-year, on-the-job computer science education professional development to high school teachers. The project will identify an effective learning model to prepare in-service teachers to teach computer science. To ensure the model meets workplace requirements, all research will take place in an authentic...

Effective: 2014-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: David F Feldon, Josipa Roksa

Institutions: Utah State University, University of Virginia Main Campus

The University of Utah will conduct a collaborative project with the University of Virginia to determine how research skills are developed in graduate students. The significance of the study lies in the fact that the goal of graduate education is to prepare a highly-skilled workforce, not just a credentialed one. Skills are, thus, central to both the process of graduate education and the value of degrees in the labor market. However, skill development is a poorly understood aspect of graduate...

Effective: 2014-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Kevin J Crowley, Rena Dorph

Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, University of California-Berkeley

This project, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Berkeley, seeks to discover what makes middle school students engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The researchers have developed a concept known as science learning activation, including dispositions, practices, and knowledge leading to successful STEM learning and engagement. The project is intended to develop and validate a method of measuring science learning...

Effective: 2014-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Zwickl

Institution: Rochester Institute of Tech

The Rochester Institute of Technology will implement a small focused research project that is designed to provide a better understanding of how academic content and communication skills transfer into the entry-level workforce. It is adapting foundational research on learning in an academic setting to the workplace and provides multiple perspectives of the "skills gap" between higher education and the workplace. Specifically, the researchers propose to examine the use of mathematics, optics, and...

Effective: 2014-2016

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Thomas W Rudin

Institution: National Academy of Sciences

The Board on Higher Education and the Workforce of the National Research Council will plan and convene a workshop to engage a diverse group of researchers, practitioners, employers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders in conversations to (1) describe the current status of research in STEM workforce development, (2) discuss and refine priority research themes and topics that will support development of a national STEM workforce strategy, and (3) inform the efforts of the Directorate...

Effective: 2014-2016

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Daniel Denecke

Institution: Council of Graduate Schools

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is undertaking an exploratory capacity building project to plan a multi-year Best Practice research effort focused on institutional models and strategies for integrating STEM workforce development and graduate education. The project will provide a better understanding of what skills deficiencies employers identify in STEM graduate students, what structures are or are not in place to meet those needs, what learning environments are effective, and how...

Effective: 2013-2019

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Chandra L Muller, John R Warren

Institutions: University of Texas at Austin, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

This collaborative study is investigating how the STEM skills and training that individuals from underrepresented groups acquired during high school and postsecondary education have contributed to their STEM workforce success and the types of occupations they now enjoy in midlife. It is uses the High School & Beyond (HS&B) database, a nationally representative study of high school sophomores from 1980. HS&B contains a large sample of African Americans and Latinos, women, and people...

Effective: 2013-2018

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: C. Lee Giles, Julia I Lane, Christopher C Morphew, Vetle I Torvik, Bruce A Weinberg

Institutions: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park, New York University, American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, University of Iowa, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University

EHR Core ResearchWorkforce DevelopmentThis is a collaborative project involving Ohio State University (lead institution), Pennsylvania State University, American Institutes for Research, University of Illinois-Urbana, and the University of Iowa. The project examines the impact of different research funding structures on the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and the impact of their subsequent outcomes. The rationale for the study is the recognition that research teams are...

Effective: 2013-2017

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Jon D Miller

Institution: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

This project is initiating a new cohort of 7th grade students and extending the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY) to a new generation. In 1987, the LSAY began with national cohorts of 7th and 10th grade students selected from a stratified probability sample of public schools in the U.S. The LSAY has provided a valuable longitudinal record of the development of student attitudes and experiences into young adult life plans, careers, and new families. The original LSAY cohorts have...

Effective: 2013-2016

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Matthew T Hora

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

EHR Core ResearchWorkforce DevelopmentThis project focuses on workplace expectations for STEM related competencies and the subsequent design of educational curricula in postsecondary institutions and STEM education interventions. It responds to the need to produce empirical evidence regarding employer expectations in STEM related fields that would enable the integration of these expectations into educational practice. Thus, the project goals are to (1) identify employer expectations for the...

Effective: 2013-2015

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: William G Buttlar

Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

EHR Core ResearchWorkforce DevelopmentThe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is conducting a workforce development capacity building project that is designed to advance the strategic integration of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) into graduate and professional STEM programs in 21st century research universities by setting the stage for robust research studies. The PI proposes to conduct a workshop to explore pedagogical issues such as the effectiveness of flipped classrooms merged...