The proposed project will consider the best possible role of randomized field trials in research projects in STEM education research projects. Two workshops and one Summative Convocation will direct the attention of scholars to addressing the benefits of randomization for large- and small-scale STEM education research, impediments to carrying out research designs that use randomization, and important ways in which randomization could be adapted to real-world logistical constraints of schools as well as local needs. The project's intellectual merits arise from the intended value of the workshops and Convocation for clarifying research designs that best yield actionable knowledge in STEM education. Broader impacts are foreseeable through clarifying research processes that are most compatible with the interests of school-age learners. Through the two workshops and a Summative Convocation, the distinctions, issues, and debates about randomization in STEM education can be clarified and disseminated to researchers and to the professional staff of funding agencies.
