Advancing Research on Youth Motivation in STEM
The NSF ITEST Learning Resource Center at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), will be hosting a convening entitled “Advancing Research on Youth Motivation in STEM” that will bring together ITEST youth participants and ITEST project PIs with leading researchers, psychologists, and sociologists to develop a theoretical research framework to guide future research on youth motivation in STEM with particular emphasis on youth from populations most underrepresented in the STEM workforce. For more information on the ITEST program, please visit the ITEST Learning Resource Center’s website at http://edc.org/itestlrc.
The convening, which takes place Friday, September 9, 2011 through Sunday, September 11, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts on the campus of Boston College, will bring together multidisciplinary perspectives to the ITEST program’s present work and link researchers exploring motivation from various theories. We are also looking to generate alternative frameworks and questions to set the stage for the long-term exploration of youth motivation in STEM. Topics for discussion may include the assessment of program models and core elements, issues of self-identity, educational practices in formal and informal settings, and an examination of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. The convening will explore questions such as: What motivates young people to participate in STEM learning experiences? What role does community, family, or cultural context play in that motivation to learn? What do STEM learning experiences teach young people about STEM educational and career paths? What specific programmatic aspects have the greatest impact on their involvement in STEM beyond ITEST?
Together, the convening and related project activities are intended to generate a theoretical research framework and methodologies most appropriate for exploring youth motivation in STEM and related assessment issues, engage the ITEST community in identifying central elements of their programs that foster effective STEM motivation, career discovery, and exploration, and map the existing data on the intensity, nature, and rigor of ITEST project impact as it relates to youth motivation in STEM.
For more information on the convening, please visit the Convening website. Participation in this event is by application only and you are invited to submit your application to attend now (deadline is now July 22nd, 2011).