scholarly journals From the NSF: The National Science Foundation’s Investments in Broadening Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education through Research and Capacity Building

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. fe7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia M. James ◽  
Susan R. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
New Era ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Minority Participation ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
National Science ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Broadening Participation ◽  
And Mathematics

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a long history of investment in broadening participation (BP) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. A review of past NSF BP efforts provides insights into how the portfolio of programs and activities has evolved and the broad array of innovative strategies that has been used to increase the participation of groups underrepresented in STEM, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. While many are familiar with these long-standing programmatic efforts, BP is also a key component of NSF’s strategic plans, has been highlighted in National Science Board reports, and is the focus of ongoing outreach efforts. The majority of familiar BP programs, such as the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (now 25 years old), are housed in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. However, fellowship programs such as the Graduate Research Fellowships and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships under the Directorate for Biological Sciences (and parallel directorates in other STEM disciplines) are frequently used to address underrepresentation in STEM disciplines. The FY2016 and FY2017 budget requests incorporate funding for NSF INCLUDES, a new cross-agency BP initiative that will build on prior successes while addressing national BP challenges. NSF INCLUDES invites the use of innovative approaches for taking evidence-based best practices to scale, ushering in a new era in NSF BP advancement.

Moving the Needle, Raising Consciousness: The Science and Practice of Broadening Participation

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 551-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connie L. McNeely ◽  
Kaye Husbands Fealing
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Broadening Participation ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Different Strains

Research foundations for broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the workforce appear in several different strains of social science research. The science of broadening participation (SoBP) is necessary to inform a comprehensive understanding of what the pertinent issues are, why they occur, and how various organizations—in academia, business, and government—are creating pathways toward more diverse, inclusive, and productive entities. Inspired by and building upon the 2016 Symposium on the Science of Broadening Participation, this special issue is a compendium of articles that are representative of the various topics that formed the core of the discussions that took place and of recommendations that ensued from them. Focused on questions linked to increasing the participation and inclusion of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in STEM fields, matters related to frameworks, measurement, education, and the workforce were explored with the aim of SoBP delineation and the determination of research-based approaches for policy development and implementation. Moreover, a set of challenges is presented for scholars, analysts, and other stakeholders to pursue in furthering and supporting SoBP goals.

scholarly journals Scientific Performance and Mapping of the Term STEM in Education on the Web of Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco-Javier Hinojo-Lucena ◽  
Pablo Dúo-Terrón ◽  
Magdalena Ramos Navas-Parejo ◽  
Carmen Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽  
Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Scientific Performance ◽  
New Era ◽  
Word Analysis ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Women And Science ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Educational Field

Technological progress is causing terms such as “STEM”, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to burst into the educational arena, marking a new era in the application of innovative and motivating teaching and learning processes. The objective of this research is to analyze the trajectory and the transcendence of the “STEM” concept in the educational field, having as reference the reported literature of Web of Science. The methodology applied in this research is based on bibliometrics, analyzing both the performance and the structural and dynamic development of the concept through a co-word analysis. The total number of documents analyzed is 4390. The results show that the scientific community mainly uses English and research papers to present their results. From 2015 onwards, the main lines of research are beginning to be established, which focus on “women” and “science”. It can be concluded that the term “STEM” in education is beginning to have a greater incidence and impact on the processes of teaching and learning, especially in the field of science, although there are currently discrepancies between men and women in its use.

Expertise in STEM Disciplines

2019 ◽  
pp. 528-550
Author(s):  
David F. Feldon ◽  
Soojeong Jeong ◽  
Joana Franco
Keyword(s):  
Modern Society ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expert Performance ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
New Directions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

Enhancing expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is vital to promoting both the intellectual and economic development of a modern society. This chapter synthesizes relevant studies on the acquisition and development of STEM expertise from different areas of research, including cognitive psychology, the psychology of science, sociology and anthropology, and educational research. Specifically, first, the structure of relevant STEM disciplines in conceptualizing the domain of expertise are discussed. Then the fundamental mechanisms of thinking and problem-solving practices in science and engineering that underlie expert performance within these disciplines are presented. Issues pertaining to assessment and recognition of expertise in STEM fields are also examined. Lastly, evidence pertaining to the impact of training and education on the development of STEM expertise is reviewed. The chapter closes with a critical analysis of STEM expertise research to date and identifies unanswered critical questions and new directions for future research.

scholarly journals Using a Champion-Oriented Mindset to Overcome the Challenges of Graduate School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Marshall ◽  
Caroline Palavicino-Maggio ◽  
Kit Neikirk ◽  
Zer Vue ◽  
Heather Beasley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Education ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
Minority Participation ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
University Undergraduates

Despite efforts to increase diversity, a glaring underrepresentation of minorities (URM) persists in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Graduate school can be a stressful step in the STEM pipeline, especially for students previously unaware of the structure and challenges of post-graduate education. To promote successful minority participation in STEM and prepare prospective students for the impending challenges of graduate school, we developed a workshop based on the mentoring and fostering of a champion-oriented mindset entitled, The Trials and Tribulations of Graduate School: How Do You Make an Impact?. We administered the workshop to a cohort of university undergraduates and conducted pre- and post-workshop surveys to measure students perceived need for instruction on specific workshop topics. The results suggest that the workshop was well received by the students and provided information that they considered helpful to help navigate the graduate school process.

Pathways and Structures: Evaluating Systems Changes in an NSF INCLUDES Alliance

2022 ◽  
pp. 109821402110416
Author(s):  
Caitlin Howley ◽  
Johnavae Campbell ◽  
Kimberly Cowley ◽  
Kimberly Cook
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Systems Change ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
National Science ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Programs Of Study

In this article, we reflect on our experience applying a framework for evaluating systems change to an evaluation of a statewide West Virginia alliance funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the early persistence of rural, first-generation, and other underrepresented minority science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in their programs of study. We begin with a description of the project and then discuss the two pillars around which we have built our evaluation of this project. Next, we present the challenge we confronted (despite the utility of our two pillars) in identifying and analyzing systems change, as well as the literature we consulted as we considered how to address this difficulty. Finally, we describe the framework we applied and examine how it helped us and where we still faced quandaries. Ultimately, this reflection serves two key purposes: 1) to consider a few of the challenges of measuring changes in systems and 2) to discuss our experience applying one framework to address these issues.

Strategies to Increase Representation of Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffry L. White ◽  
G.H. Massiha
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
College Students ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
College Attendance ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Personal Services ◽  
College Students With Disabilities ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Integrated Program

As a nation wrestles with the need to train more professionals, persons with disabilities are undereducated and underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The following project was proposed to increase representation of students with disabilities in the STEM disciplines. The program emphasizes an integrated program of interventions for college students with disabilities (SwD) majoring in STEM which centers on a system of continuous student monitoring with rapid access to academic and personal services, as well as professional development and degree enhancing experiences supplied during the entire period of college attendance.

News&Views: National Lab Day promotes STEM

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-205
Author(s):  
Andrea Christie
Keyword(s):  
President Obama ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Stem Teaching

A year ago this month, President Obama announced the “Educate to Innovate” program to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and education. National Lab Day is part of the president's program. Although May 12, 2010, marked the first National Lab “Day,” it is not actually a one-day event, but a yearlong initiative aimed at improving inquiry-based experiences for students in STEM disciplines.

scholarly journals Optimism, Innovativeness, and Competitiveness: The Relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientations and the Development of Science Identity in Scientists

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-172
Author(s):  
Richard N. Pitt ◽  
Lacee A. Satcher ◽  
Amber Musette Drew
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Science Identity ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Academic Scientists ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Identity Centrality ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship

We contend that the work scientists do is entrepreneurial because they are in the business of discovering, evaluating, and exploiting opportunities to create new knowledge. In this article, we examine the relationship between Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) scholars’ holdings of traits associated with entrepreneurial activity and the degree to which these scientists consider being a scientist important to their sense of self. In particular, we argue that optimism, an innovative mindset, and competitiveness should be associated, positively, with STEM scholars’ science identity. Our results, based on a survey of 215 postdoctoral trainees in STEM disciplines, show that the more academic scientists have of each entrepreneurial disposition, the greater their science identity centrality.

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