Effective: 2016-2022

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Eva M Pomerantz

Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Many people believe that mathematics ability is a fixed trait. However, research indicates instead that mathematics ability is malleable, that it can be improved with effort and persistence, a belief system known as "growth mindset". There has been much attention to enhancing children's mathematics learning in the classroom. Although this is critical, it does not take into account that children spend a large proportion of their time outside of school, frequently with at least one of their...

Effective: 2016-2022

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Frank C Keil

Institution: Yale University

This project, led by a team of researchers from Yale University, will focus on the role of causal mechanistic explanations in children's and adults' learning of STEM content and will examine the relations to engagement with science education. Learning the specific mechanistic details of natural phenomena and devices is often envisioned as an ideal goal of STEM learning, yet such information is typically forgotten soon after instruction by children, as well as by adults. The researchers will...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Allan Wigfield

Institution: University of Maryland, College Park

Concern about students' participation and performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses and choice of STEM occupations has shifted from a focus on overall lack of participation in STEM careers to the underrepresentation of women and certain minority groups such as African Americans in careers in engineering and the sciences. As researchers attempt to uncover why some students are more likely to pursue STEM careers, they increasingly have focused on motivational...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Kevin Haudek, Jonathan Osborne, Mary Anne Sydlik, Christopher D Wilson

Institutions: Michigan State University, Stanford University, Western Michigan University, BSCS Science Learning

Argumentation is fundamental to both science and science education. This perspective is reflected in the Next Generation Science Standards where argumentation is presented as one of eight fundamental science and engineering practices through which students learn both the core ideas of science and the crosscutting concepts of science. Argumentation, however, is not measured well using standard multiple choice items. An alternative that is well suited to measuring argumentation skills is the...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Erin M Furtak

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

The EHR Core Research program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. While learning progressions have shown promise as supports for teachers as they design formative assessments, as well as suggested new approaches for modeling student learning, the field is still only at the beginning stages of understanding how learning progressions can inform and enhance student learning. This research is needed because studies show that...

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 Investigator: Curtis Tatsuoka

Institution: Case Western Reserve University

The broad objective of this study, led by a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University, is to further understanding of the neural and cognitive basis for mathematics learning. The focus will be on mathematics problem-solving strategies used by adolescents, and how these strategies are adopted and changed as problems become systematically more difficult. The project will examine the association of these strategies with mathematics-related cognitive skills, scores on tests of...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Michele M Mazzocco

Institution: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Individuals with mathematics learning disabilities are at risk for lifelong underachievement in mathematics, which can affect broader education and career related outcomes. The early development of mathematics learning disabilities is poorly understood. The learning of number words is important but often difficult for young children and could be critically important. The expression "one bin of apples" conveys an image of many more apples than the expression "two apples." Yet, "one" is smaller...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: John C Chen

Institution: California Polytechnic State University Foundation

Concerns about maintaining a strong, vibrant US economy and improving global competitiveness have led to efforts to increase the number and diversity of graduates in STEM majors. Attrition among engineering students is high in the first two years of college studies, and even higher among women and underrepresented minority students. There have been research investments made by multiple stakeholders that have invested in various strategies to improve the situation with many efforts focused on...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Deborah Kelemen

Institution: Trustees of Boston University

The ECR (Education and Human Resources Core Research) program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. Research shows that world-wide, despite its importance to the life sciences, natural selection remains one of the most widely misunderstood processes in biology. Specifically, studies reveal that scientific misconceptions about natural selection not only persist among high school students and undergraduates who are usual targets of...

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: Richard Mayer

Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara

A team of investigators from the University of California - Santa Barbara, together with researchers from the University of Georgia, will conduct research on how to improve the design of online undergraduate instruction in biology and chemistry that involves video. The researchers will test the hypothesis based on a leading theory of multimedia learning that when instructors face students throughout the lesson (by using a transparent whiteboard), students should learn more than when instructors...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Bethany M Rittle-Johnson, Jon R Star

Institutions: Vanderbilt University, Harvard University

The project focuses on a Comparison and Explanation of Multiple Strategies (CEMS) approach for Algebra I. The instructional approach focuses on having students compare strategies and explain their thinking. The investigators will modify the current materials, the instructional approach, and the professional development approach based on prior research. The curriculum development will include supplementary materials for linear equations, systems of equations, quadratics and factoring, and...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: John D Gabrieli

Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Difficulties in math and reading prevent many students from succeeding in STEM education which demands both math and reading skills. Dyslexia is the most common type of learning disability affecting reading proficiency but many students with dyslexia also exhibit dyscalculia, or math disability. To date, little research has sought to understand the extent of the neurobiological connections between dyslexia and dyscalculia. This proposal will explore the cognitive underpinnings of dyscalculia...

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: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Paul Morgan

Institution: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park

Executive function (EF) deficits may explain lower math and science achievement for students with and without disabilities and therefore may be essential targets for intervention. Current research in this area often relies on cross-sectional studies using smaller samples of middle and high school students and so this study fills a critical gap by examining relationships between executive function and math and science achievement with younger students in a large, nationally representative...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Haley A Vlach

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

This research will contribute to understanding how science concepts are learned. This project will study how concepts are generalized from individual examples, thus continuing to inform the cognitive science literature on this topic. The experiments will present students with multiple examples of science concepts according to different timing patterns so that students can abstract similarities and differences among them. The studies will directly address a seemingly paradoxical set of findings:...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Edward D Britton

Institution: WestEd

Researchers will examine the fidelity and quality of their implementation of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in response to an extensive professional development program of workshops and professional learning communities. In addition the study will investigate how individual teacher background characteristics, their personal beliefs about science teaching and learning, the characteristics of their students, and other contextual variables affect such implementation. Study findings will...

Effective: 2016-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Ryan Baker, Gautam Biswas

Institutions: Teachers College, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University

This project aims to enhance theory and measurement of students' self-regulated learning (SRL) processes during science learning. SRL refers to learning that is guided by metacognition (thinking about one's thinking), strategic action (planning, monitoring, and evaluating personal progress against a standard), and motivation to learn. The project will accomplish this by developing a technology-based framework which leverages human expert judgment and machine learning methods to identify key...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Laura L Watkins

Institution: Maricopa County Community College District

Community colleges serve a large portion of students who require mathematics at the undergraduate level and play an increasing role in STEM workforce development. There is a growing national interest in the role of community colleges for undergraduate education. The proposal seeks to investigate the conditions under which instruction in community college algebra courses can be associated with student learning gains and course performance. This information can be used to design programs to...

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 Investigator: Zahed Siddique

Institution: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

Divergent thinking, which is related to ideation, continues to be a not fully understood and yet a very important part of the design process. Using cognitive neuroscience experiments to study divergent thinking for various idea generation methods and design tasks, and studying the effectiveness by comprehensive evaluation design outcomes, we can better understand the idea generation process. Cognitive neuroscience uses different techniques to study the brain in action, and each technique has...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Susanne Jaeggi, Geetha Ramani

Institutions: University of California-Irvine, University of Maryland, College Park

This project, a collaboration between researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of California-Irvine, will test the benefits of training activities for improving the mathematical achievement of kindergartners from low-income backgrounds using newly-developed tablet computer games. The gap in mathematical proficiency between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds is present before children enter elementary school, and it progressively widens over the course of...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Cindy F Miller

Institution: Arizona State University

Increasing concern in recent years has highlighted the low percentage of adults who are earning degrees and pursuing careers in engineering, and this is especially true for female and ethnic minority individuals. Given that early experiences have a profound effect on later skill development and one's motivation to learn, it is essential to target children's early beliefs and experiences to better understand and change occupational disparities later in life. Very few studies have been conducted...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Nong Ye

Institution: Arizona State University

This project targets three significant gaps in the current state of knowledge relevant to engineering retention and success: 1) lack of knowledge on engineering retention and success characteristics based on interactive, concurrent effects of multiple factors, 2) lack of knowledge about engineering retention and success characteristics based on the modeling of variable relations that exist for some but not all values of variables or are different for different value ranges of variables, and 3)...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigators: Julia Aguirre, Mary Q Foote, Amy Roth-McDuffie, Erin Turner

Institutions: University of Washington, CUNY Queens College, Washington State University, University of Arizona

This proposal was submitted in response to EHR Core Research (ECR) program announcement NSF 15-509. The ECR program of fundamental research in STEM education provides funding in critical research areas that are essential, broad and enduring. EHR seeks proposals that will help synthesize, build and/or expand research foundations in the following focal areas: STEM learning, STEM learning environments, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation in STEM. The ECR program is...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Jessica Andrews Todd

Institution: Educational Testing Service

The ECR program of fundamental research in STEM education provides funding in critical research areas that are essential, broad and enduring. EHR seeks proposals that will help synthesize, build and/or expand research foundations in the following focal areas: STEM learning, STEM learning environments, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation in STEM. The ECR program is distinguished by its emphasis on the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to (a) understand, (b)...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: William R Penuel

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

The ECR (Education and Human Resources Core Research) program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. As such, the incoherence of state and local science systems is well-documented in the research literature, as are the ways that incoherence makes system-level improvements difficult to attain. This project will investigate the steps state level science educators and policymakers might take to help build coherent systems of science...

Effective: 2016-2020

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Preeti Gupta

Institution: American Museum Natural History

This longitudinal research study will contribute to a broader understanding of the pathways of STEM-interested high school students from underrepresented groups who plan to pursue or complete science studies in their post-high school endeavors. The project will investigate the ways that formative authentic science experiences may support youth's persistence in STEM. The study focuses on approximately 900 urban youth who are high interest, high potential STEM students who participate in, or are...

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: 2016-2018

Funding Type: RAPID/EAGER

Principal Investigator: Tamara R Sumner

Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder

This is an Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research research project to develop automated tools to aid in the development of mathematics teaching expertise in preservice teachers. Current research on preservice mathematics teacher instruction relies on observing preservice teachers interacting with students and recording their mathematical interactions to provide guidance and advice as how the preservice teachers can improve their teaching. This research requires highly trained observers...

Effective: 2016-2018

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Linda Coats

Institution: Mississippi State University

The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that will generate foundational knowledge in the field. This conference proposal focuses on developing a research agenda that will explore ways to help African American female faculty at predominantly white institutions navigate the promotion and tenure process. The conference will establish a platform for intergroup discussions about diversity in the workplace, illuminate gaps in existing literature to help target future research,...

Effective: 2016-2017

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Christopher S Green

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison

This award to the University of Wisconsin - Madison provides support for a conference on methodological issues surrounding claims about the efficacy of cognitive training interventions. The workshop is scheduled to be held in Boston, Massachusetts, in May, 2016. Much attention has been given to the potential benefits of computer-based learning interventions or games for fundamental aspects of cognition. Indeed, there is great public interest in the question and it has given rise to a growing...

Effective: 2016-2017

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Felice J Levine

Institution: American Educational Research Association

Replication and reproducibility are critically important tenets of the scientific process. Yet, many fields including education research struggle to regularly support and publish results from replication studies. Although important strides have been made to ensure that more scientific data is available, substantive challenges remain with respect to making data from important publications widely available in a timely manner. This conference proposal will bring together journal editors and early...

Effective: 2016-2016

Funding Type: Conference

Principal Investigator: Nora S Newcombe

Institution: Temple University

This award to Temple University provides partial support to the International, Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) conference, scheduled to be held in Toronto, Canada, in September, 2016. It is a unique opportunity for researchers in educational neuroscience to share the results of their cutting-edge work with educators and receive feedback on the translational opportunities for the research, and for educators to update their understanding of the cognitive and neural bases of learning...

Effective: 2015-2024

Funding Type: CAREER

Principal Investigators: Jennifer Noll, Andee Rubin

Institutions: Portland State University, TERC Inc

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Statistics and data analysis plays an increasingly important role in modern society. Without the ability to work with data (e.g. organize,...

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: 2015-2023

Funding Type: CAREER

Principal Investigator: Mary C Murphy

Institution: Indiana University

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Why do women thrive in some STEM classrooms and drop out of others, and how does this impact whether they will continue on in a STEM major? While...

Effective: 2015-2022

Funding Type: CAREER

Principal Investigator: Megan Wawro

Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Title:CAREER: An Interdisciplinary Study Of Learning: Student Understanding Of Linear Algebra In PhysicsConsistent with the national charge for the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, the National Research Council's (NRC's) report (2012) "Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering" describes a need for interdisciplinary studies regarding learning and the transfer of knowledge...

Effective: 2015-2022

Funding Type: CAREER

Principal Investigator: Sarah Ovink

Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. In a post-recession context of rising income inequality, the importance of a college degree to the attainment of financial stability remains...

Effective: 2015-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Amy E Booth

Institutions: Vanderbilt University, University of Texas at Austin

It has been increasingly recognized that promoting scientific literacy must begin early while foundational attitudes, knowledge and skills are taking shape. This project, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas and Loyola University of Chicago, will explore preschoolers' attunement to causal information -- referred to as their causal stance -- as a key component of this foundation. For example, the researchers are interested in the degree to which children seek out information about...

Effective: 2015-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: David Marx

Institution: San Diego State University Foundation

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 STEM education and workforce participation through education and implementation research that will lead to a larger and more diverse domestic STEM workforce. Stereotype threat and feelings of not belonging are suggested as...

Effective: 2015-2021

Funding Type: ECR:Core

Principal Investigator: Mark Warschauer

Institution: University of California-Irvine

The multi-year project will study 50 flipped, hybrid, and online courses offered in the three major STEM Schools at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Higher education institutions are increasing the number of courses they offer that use elements of virtual instruction in the belief that these courses will lead to better learning, lower costs, greater access, and higher graduation rates. However, recent meta-analyses of virtual learning in higher education all conclude that there is a...

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: CAREER

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth A Gunderson

Institution: Temple University

Spatial skills strongly predict STEM achievement in children and adults. This project, led by a researcher at Temple University, aims to understand the relationship between spatial and numerical skills at a more fine-grained level, among pre-k through 4th graders, with the ultimate goal of harnessing this relationship to improve math achievement. This project (1) investigates how, when, and why spatial skills influence numerical skills; (2) examines how spatial and numerical skills develop...