Advanced Quantitative Methods to Broaden STEM Education Participation: Training Next Generations of Researchers

The goal of this project is to train a cohort of early- and mid-career scholars to become leaders in applying advanced quantitative and computational methods to STEM education research. Specifically, the institute supported by this project will seek to (a) deepen participants’ methodological training to rigorously apply cutting-edge methods to STEM education research, (b) provide participants with sustained methodological support in research planning, data analysis, and publication, and (c) broaden participation in a community of emerging scholars poised to take leadership in advancing STEM education research. The project team will recruit on a national scale to select a diverse cohort of participants whose research is focused on understanding the sources of unequal access to STEM learning opportunities and evaluating strategies for transforming STEM education to advance equity and inclusion. The theme of the institute will be to use cutting-edge methods to advance research for promoting equality and equity in STEM education. The institute is a collaboration between the University of Chicago and Michigan State University and will focus on integrating existing and novel quantitative methods with critical perspectives to examine STEM education opportunities and outcomes. Specifically, instructors will teach introductory modules in year 1 and advanced modules in year 2 in: (1) research designs and causal inference, (2) measurement, (3) social network analysis/computational methods, (4) multilevel modeling, and (5) causal moderation and mediation analyses. Structured discussions of participants’ ongoing studies will be supplemented by guest speaker presentations and round-table discussions organized around how to innovatively address some of the most challenging research questions about how to reduce inequality and inequity in STEM. Fellows will present their capstone projects in the summer of year 3. In addition to an annual summer institute, participants will meet in virtual monthly colloquia and small groups with instructors to discuss the application of methods. This work builds on a previous institute in advanced quantitative and computational methods for STEM education research. Accordingly, the project team will facilitate opportunities for the current participants to forge meaningful professional connections with participants from the previous institute through the organization of symposia and events at major educational conferences. By fostering these connections, the project will contribute to cultivating a critical mass of highly engaged and skilled researchers dedicated to addressing STEM education challenges for underrepresented groups. Continuous formative and summative assessments will be employed to enhance program activities and ensure equality. A customized website will disseminate training content and research products to the broader STEM education research community. The project is supported by NSF’s EDU Core Research Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) program, which is designed to build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research. 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.