BSCER Investigator Initiated Development program. Justice-orientated Approaches for Data science Education (JADE)

This capacity-building project, administered by the University of Hawaii, is designed to develop the investigator’s knowledge and skills in STEM Education research (SER) through participation in intensive professional growth activities including mentoring by a team of experts in STEM Education research, workshops in research methods and cultural competence, and participation in SER professional conferences. In tandem with the project’s professional development activities, the investigator will design and implement a SER study focused on the use of justice-oriented approaches in data science education (DSE) to increase participation of people from underrepresented groups in the study of data science.

The research findings will add to the body of knowledge on best practices for broadening participation in STEM.

The investigator will engage in a comprehensive set of professional growth activities that addresses gaps in SER knowledge identified through self-assessment, including regular formative meetings with mentors throughout the project’s two-year duration. The research study will test hypotheses regarding the effects of justice-oriented data science training on undergraduate and graduate student participants’ justice-orientation, as well as sense-of-belonging, persistence, and success in DSE.

Data will be collected via surveys, interviews, focus groups and reflections and analyzed and interpreted using qualitative and quantitative methods. The project will broaden participation in STEM and inform best practices for DSE that support transdisciplinary engagement and are inclusive of underrepresented groups. Research findings and intervention products, adaptable for use in multiple contexts, will be widely disseminated.

Long-term societal benefits include the potential for improved economic mobility and self-determination for diverse peoples and engagement with regional and global justice challenges.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.