| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 22, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 12, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1502892 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Gavin Fulmer
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $2,884,859.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $2,884,859.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2017 = $1,396,251.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4475 CASTLEMAN AVE SAINT LOUIS MO US 63110-3201 (314)577-9566 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
4475 Castleman Ave. Saint Louis MO US 63110-3201 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Discovery Research K-12 |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001718DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. This project will design, develop, and test a new professional development (PD) model for high school biology teachers that focuses on plant biology, an area of biology that teachers feel less prepared to teach. The new PD model will bring teachers and scientists together, in-person and online, to guide students in conducting authentic science investigations and to reflect on instructional practices and student learning. The project will also develop and test the outcomes of a summer institute for teachers and a website that will support the online mentoring of students and the professional development of teachers. Outcomes of the project will include the development of a facilitation guide for the teacher professional development model, a website to support student mentoring and teacher professional development, a series of resources for teachers and scientists to use in working with students, and empirical evidence of the success of the new professional development model.
This full research and development project will employ a pre-test/post-test control group design to test the efficacy of a professional development model for high school biology teachers. The professional development model is grounded in a theory of action based on the premise that when teachers are engaged with scientists and students in a technology-enabled learning community, students will demonstrate higher levels of achievement than those using more traditional instructional materials and methodologies. The means of post-intervention outcome measures will be compared across treatment and comparison groups in a cluster-randomized trial where teachers will be randomly assigned to treatment groups. The study will recruit a nation-wide sample to ensure that participants represent a wide array of geographic and demographic contexts, with preference given to Title 1 schools. The research questions are: a) To what extent does participation in the Digging Deeper community of teachers and scientists affect teacher knowledge and practices? b) To what extent does participation in the Digging Deeper community of teachers and scientists affect scientists? quality of mentorship and teaching? And c) To what extent does student use of the online program and participation in the learning community with scientist mentors affect student learning? Instruments will be developed or adapted to measure relevant student and teacher knowledge, student motivation, and teacher practices. Computer-mediated discourse analysis will be used over the course of the study to track online interactions among students, teachers, and science mentors.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Digging Deeper was a research study designed to investigate the effectiveness of a partnership between high school students, teachers, and scientist mentors for improving student's science achievement and attitudes about scientists. The partnership program included a collaborative professional learning workshop for teachers and early-career scientists, well-developed instructional materials for students in the classroom, and online mentoring by scientists.
In PlantingScience, students and teachers have the opportunity to work directly with scientist mentors to conduct experiments and analyze their results. Students also develop their own questions and hypotheses, design their own experiments, and report their findings through the custom online platform.
For the study, the researchers recruited 66 teachers and over 2500 students from broad demographic backgrounds to take part in a randomized, control designed study on the effectiveness of the PlantingScience Power of Sunlight module. The study was supported by 43 early-career scientists and over 400 online scientist mentors recruited from the partnering scientific societies.
The results of the study showed that students in the PlantingScience Power of Sunlight group performed 11 percentile points better on assessments compared with students who did not have access to the Power of Sunlight module or the scientist mentors. This difference is statistically significant.
This work was guided by the Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012) in that it involved the interplay of quality curriculum, effective instruction, and teacher development. It also involved students learning about and experiencing science practices. By engaging in science practices, students gain a deeper understanding of how scientists work, including how they devise and test theories, build a body of evidence, and communicate and convey their findings. Importantly, this work is designed to be an experience available to all students in the classroom. Many previous programs have targeted students who are already interested in and high achieving in science, or who are able to easily travel to the scientist's workplace. This work is designed to let all students interact and collaborate with professional scientists.
Another benefit for students working with scientists is the chance for them to get a more realistic view of what scientists do and who they are. Common stereotypes are that scientists are older, White men who wear lab coats, work alone, and lack interpersonal skills. These stereotypes can limit students' willingness to identify with scientists and make it harder to consider science careers for themselves. In PlantingScience, students work with diverse scientists who, in addition to having a strong curiosity about the natural world, have a broad range of hobbies and interests that are similar to those of most people. The results of the study also revealed that students in the program improved their attitudes about scientists. A more realistic understanding of scientists' work and learning how scientists' work impacts students' everyday lives can help build public science understanding and is not only useful for students who decide to pursue a science career.
Broader impacts of this project included development of the custom open-source online platform, plantingscience.org, new and revised modules and training materials available to any teacher, student, or scientist. The project has also increased the capacity, visibility and participation in the broader PlantingScience online community which supports 350 teachers and 12,750 students with help from 850 volunteer scientist mentors. Fifty-one percent of teachers from the study have returned to use the program again with new students, with 31% exploring additional modules on other plant science themes.
Last Modified: 01/28/2022
Modified by: Catrina Adams
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