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Strengthening the Research Base that Informs STEM Workforce and Curriculum Improvement Efforts

Principal Investigator:

Project Overview

Background & Purpose:

In the past decade, the federal government and influential scholars have argued for stronger research into the impact of educational interventions, particularly those intended to improve instructional quality (Confrey & Stohl, 2004; Raudenbush, 2008; Shavelson & Towne, 2001). Such efforts typically focus on programs of teacher professional development, improvements in the materials that guide instruction, or both. We plan to conduct a research synthesis of studies that investigate the impact of professional development and instructional improvement programs.

Setting:

n/a

Research Design:

The project will generate evidence that is synthetic [meta-analysis]. We will conduct a meta-analysis of methodologically rigorous studies of STEM interventions involving professional development, curriculum materials, or both. We will conduct a systematic search of the literature in order to locate all relevant studies, code the studies, and utilize meta-analytic techniques in order to synthesize the studies' findings.

Findings:

Findings will be posted as they become available.

Discipline:

State:

Target Population: