Collaborative Research: Investigating STEM Teacher Preparation and Rural Teacher Persistence and Retention

合作研究：调查 STEM 教师准备和农村教师的坚持和保留

• 批准号: 2050095
• 负责人: David Long
• 金额: $ 7万
• 依托单位: Morehead State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2050095&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Investigating; STEM; Teacher

The project aims to serve the national need of addressing STEM teacher shortages in rural communities. Staffing schools with high quality STEM teachers has been a persistent challenge for rural schools for the past century, however, to date, relatively few resources have been allocated toward the improvement of teacher education to prepare teachers to work in rural settings. Addressing STEM teacher workforce needs in rural America is critical for future student success. This project aims to address STEM teacher workforce challenges through a focus on how educator preparation programs (EPPs) address the unique contexts of rurality and teaching STEM in rural settings. Moreover, it seeks to identify the programmatic features of educator preparation programs that support rural STEM teacher recruitment, retention, and persistence. This project, led by Mississippi State University with thirteen collaborative partners (Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Wisconsin River Falls, Fort Hayes State University, Clarkson University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama Birmingham, Texas Tech University, Morehead State University, Texas A&M University- Commerce, Winthrop University, Alabama A&M University, and North Dakota State University) has three main goals. First is to investigate the impact of EPP features on program completers’ intention to teach as well as their persistence (continuing to teach at the same school) and retention (continuing to teach but at a new school) in rural STEM classrooms. Second is to engage in deep reflection leading to programmatic adjustments within collaborating partners’ educator preparation programs intended to increase equitable access to effective instruction for rural schools. Third is to share emerging knowledge about programmatic features of EPPs that support program completers’ intention to teach, their employment decisions after completing the EPP, and their persistence and retention in rural placements. The overarching hypothesis guiding this study is that EPPs that explicitly address rurality through programmatic features including context (e.g., addressing the strengths and challenges of rural teaching and stereotypes about rural places), curriculum (e.g., a focus on place-based instruction and rural field experiences), and conveyance (e.g., recruiting from rural or online delivery) will support recruitment, retention, and persistence in rural schools, which can lead to a more diverse and effective STEM teaching force for rural schools. Research is needed to understand the impact of these programmatic features in order to guide the design and delivery of educator preparation programs that serve rural schools and communities. This foundational research project uses a longitudinal, repeated-measures, mixed-methods research design in which 14 collaborating partners across the U.S. will identify programmatic features that address rurality and track program completers’ intentions to teach, persistence, and retention and thus produce evidence that will be disseminated both internally (to collaborating partners) and to broader audiences (e.g., STEM education, teacher education, and rural education communities). Data sources include curricular artifacts such as degree plans, course syllabi, field placement data, and assessment data; interviews with program faculty; and two surveys to capture demographic data, employment data, and the three outcome variables over time. The broader impact aim of this collaborative research is to create actionable knowledge to support rural STEM teacher persistence and retention. This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.

该项目旨在满足国家需求，以解决农村社区中的STEM教师短缺。在过去的一个世纪中，拥有高质量的STEM教师的配备学校一直是农村学校的持续挑战，但是，迄今为止，相对较少的资源分配给了教师教育的改善，以使教师准备在农村环境中工作。满足美国农村地区的STEM教师劳动力需求对于未来的学生成功至关重要。该项目旨在通过关注教育工作者准备计划（EPP）如何解决粗糙和教学的独特背景来解决STEM教师劳动力的挑战。此外，它试图确定教育工作者准备计划的程序特征，这些计划支持粗略的STEM教师招聘，保留和持久性。 This project, led by Mississippi State University with thirteen collaborative partners (Texas A&M University, Stephen F. Austin University, University of Wisconsin River Falls, Fort Hayes State University, Clarkson University, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama Birmingham, Texas Tech University, Morehead State University, Texas A&M University- Commerce, Winthrop University, Alabama A&M University, and North Dakota State University)有三个主要目标。首先是调查EPP功能对计划完成者的教学意图以及他们的持久性（继续在同一所学校任教）和在农村STEM教室中的保留（继续在新学校任教）的影响。其次是深入反思，从而在合作合作伙伴的教育准备计划中进行程序化调整，旨在增加对农村学校有效指导的公平访问。第三是分享有关EPP程序特征的新兴知识，这些知识支持计划完成者的教学意图，完成EPP后的就业决定以及他们在农村安置中的持久和保留。指导这项研究的总体假设是，EPP通过程序化特征明确解决粗糙度，包括上下文（例如，解决有关粗糙位置的粗略教学和刻板印象的优势和挑战），课程的重点（例如，基于地位的教学和农村实地经验和在线招聘的范围）（例如，招聘的招募）（例如为艰难的学校提供​​更多样化和有效的STEM教学人员。需要进行研究以了解这些程序特征的影响，以指导为农村学校和社区提供服务的教育准备计划的设计和交付。该基础研究项目使用纵向，重复测量的混合方法研究设计，其中14个合作的合作伙伴将确定计划的特征，以解决粗糙和跟踪计划完成者的教学，持久性和保留意图，并产生证据，从而产生内部的教育（以协作伙伴）和宽广的教育（E.G.G.G.G.G. Grood Communition），教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，教师，公共教育），教师，教师，教师，教育），教师，教师，教育），和教育。数据源包括课程伪像，例如学位计划，课程教学大纲，现场放置数据和评估数据；计划教师的访谈；以及两项调查以捕获人口统计数据，就业数据和三个结果变量。这项协作研究的更广泛的影响是创造可行的知识，以支持粗糙的STEM教师的持久性和保留。该曲目4：Noyce研究项目得到了Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划（NOYCE）的支持。 NOYCE计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM老师，并经验丰富的K-12教师，成为高需求学区的STEM大师教师。它还支持有关高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性，保留和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准来评估值得支持。