This award to the University of Kentucky STEM Education Research Laboratory supports undergraduate students who are studying to be K-12 STEM teachers in education research projects in STEM fields. There are four ongoing STEM education research projects on which the REU participants work, including: (1) motivation and career trajectories of STEM educators; (2) racial and gender equity and participation in K-12 math and physics; (3) elementary teacher attitudes and beliefs regarding mathematics; and (4) technology and engineering design concepts for integrated STEM instruction.
Each year, 8 undergraduates are recruited from the University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, Berea College, and other regional institutions. A total of 24 students are supported over the life of the grant. The program is an academic year REU. Students participate in biweekly meetings on campus as a cohort and with their research mentors. The program uses online collaboration tools to facilitate interactions throughout the experience. By focusing on recruiting preservice STEM teachers, this project has the potential to help these teachers understand ways to incorporate education research findings in their practice; it may also provide a model for bridging research with practice through such STEM education research experiences.
