ITEAMS Longitudinal Study

The objective of this study at Harvard University is to examine the impact of ITEAMS (Innovative Technology-Enabled Astronomy for Middle Schools) intervention strategies on student persistence in high school STEM course-taking and career expectations, and the value that students place on STEM careers. The central research questions are: 1) does ITEAMS participation boost students' STEM course-taking and their interest in, and valuation of, STEM careers throughout their high school years; 2) to what extent did students' ITEAMS experiences, in terms of knowledge and disposition, have an effect; and 3) which ITEAMS strategies or attributes have been most effective in bringing about positive outcomes? Special focus is on the predictors of persistence for girls and minority students.

The project utilizes a mix of interviews and surveys with current high school students who in previous years participated in ITEAMS (DRL-0833378) as middle-school students, and who are now juniors and seniors. The project surveys a randomly selected cohort of 75 former ITEAMS participants who were enrolled in ITEAMS for two or three years. The project-specific survey instrument includes pertinent demographic questions. The random selection of up to 15 surveyed ITEAMS students for in-depth interviews is also included.