Transcript A Research Agenda for STEM Workforce in the 21st Century

A Research Agenda
for the
Workforce for the 21st Century
FOCI
Institutions
Individuals
Motivations
Skills
Resources
Methods
Institutional Focus
Research: Identify successful practices that
create increased workplace participation
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Recruitment
Retention
Promotion
Recognition
Advancement to positions of scientific power
Advancement to positions of administrative
power
Policy and practice implications
Research: Analyze components of current
STEM cultures and practices which
impede progress of any group
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Underserved groups as canaries in the mine
Discipline and level effects
Research: Identify components of a
healthier STEM culture for all groups
Policy and practice implications
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Adoption will benefit existing populations in
STEM as well as underserved groups
Research: Understand beliefs, attitudes,
and practices of gatekeepers
Research: Analyze effective models for
attitude and behavior change
Policy and practice implications
Individual Focus
Research: What are the similarities among
underserved groups (isolation, tokenism,
undervaluation)?
Research: What are the differences among
underserved groups (self-confidence,
academic experiences, attrition points)?
Policy and practice implications
Research: Understand the sociology and
psychology of choice: what pulls and
pushes students into or away from STEM
fields?
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Reconcile existing identify and a professional
identity in STEM
Belonging
Family expectations
Community expectations
24/7 expectations
Policy and practice implications
Methodological Focus
Research strategies
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Analyze “best practices”
Contrast successful and
unsuccessful programs
Experimentally model hypothesized
mechanisms of change,
collaboration, and negotiation
Analysis
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Disaggregate data
Develop new techniques to address small
sample sizes
Meta-analysis of programs (funded and
funding) intended to increase participation
in STEM education
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Recruitment
Retention
Advancement
Recognition
Articulate underlying principles
Demonstrate familiarity with relevant literature
and use it as a base for programmatic efforts
Include formative and summative assessment
plans
Make every data base a research data base
(e.g., never overwrite information)
Research
Policy
Practice