Welcome to the ITEST Resource Library
The curricula, instruments, and publications included in this library were submitted by ITEST projects and are relevant to the work of the NSF ITEST Program. Use the filters to the right to find relevant materials. A PDF and/or URL to the original resource are included within the resource description whenever possible. In some cases, full text publications are located behind publishers’ paywalls and a fee or membership to the third party site may be required for access.
Please note: permission for the use of instruments must be requested through the publisher or author listed in each entry, and cannot be granted by STELAR.
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National Science Foundation - Instructional Materials Development Program
InstrumentsThis document presents the final report on the evaluation of the Instructional Materials Development (IMD) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and focuses on issues related to the development, dissemination, adoption, implementation, and impact of new instructional materials. The IMD program evaluates products at each step, from product development to classroom use. Instruments are included for evaluating elementary and secondary school science and mathematics materials for classroom use.
The Synergies Project: Preliminary Results and Insights from Two Years of Longitudinal Survey Research
PublicationsOur study seeks to improve understanding of how STEM interest develops during adolescence, and how a variety of community resources and out-of-school activities support that development. Our 4-year, Synergies project is a longitudinal study that documents STEM interest and participation trajectories of a cohort of middle school-aged youth as they progress from 5th through 8th grade. The premise of the project is that if one more fully understood how and why people, in particular early adolescent youth, develop STEM-related interests through the utilization of STEM resources, it should be
The Synergies Research–Practice Partnership Project: A 2020 Vision Case Study
PublicationsThis paper, describes Synergies, an on-going longitudinal study and design effort, being conducted in a diverse, under-resourced community in Portland, Oregon, with the goal of measurably improving STEM learning, interest and participation by early adolescents, both in school and out of school. Authors examine how the work of this particular research-practice partnership is attempting to accommodate the six principles outlined in this issue: (1) to more accurately reflect learning as a lifelong process occurring across settings, situations and time frames; (2) to consider what STEM content is
Synergies STEM Interest Questionnaire
InstrumentsThe dramatic decline in youth interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) during adolescence, both in the USA and internationally, has been a phenomenon of societal concern for several decades. The Synergies project was launched to help deal with this issue. In this paper, we report findings from the first two years of our longitudinal survey research. We sought to understand the nature of the STEM-related interests of 10-/11-year-old youth living in a single urban community and the factors that seem to influence whether these various dimensions of interest increase
Learning at the Nano-Level: Accounting for Complexity in the Internalization of Secondary STEM Teacher Professional Development
PublicationsUtilizing a case study research design, the factors that influence teacher learning and change, as well as the processes by which secondary STEM teachers internalize professional development (PD) content, are explored. The authors argue that conceptualizations of teacher learning often do not adequately account for teacher subjectivity and the role of exogenous variables in teacher development. The outcomes of PD are heavily influenced by teacher subjectivity, which includes perceptions, previous knowledge, and the internalization of the power and influence present in educational policy and
Sources of Middle School Science/Mathematics Self-efficacy Scale
InstrumentsMATHEMATICS SCALE: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate items with which to assess A. Bandura’s (1997) theorized sources of self-efficacy among middle school mathematics students. Results from Phase 1 (N = 1111) were used to develop and refine items for subsequent use. In Phase 2 of the study (N = 824), a 39-item, four-factor exploratory model fit best. Items were revised to strengthen psychometric properties. In Phase 3 (N = 803), a 24-item, four-factor confirmatory factor model fit best. This final model was invariant across gender and ethnicity. Subscales correlated with
Children’s Motivation Toward Science Across Contexts, Manner of Interaction, and Topic
InstrumentsUnderstanding the features of science learning experiences that organize and motivate children at early ages can help educators and researchers findways to ignite interest to support future passion and learning in the sciences at a time when children’s motivation is declining. Using a sample of 252 fifth- and sixth-grade students, we systematically explore differences in children’s motivations toward science experiences across context (formal, informal, neutral), manner of interaction (consuming new knowledge, analyzing, action), and topic (e.g., biology, earth science, physics). Motivations
Engineering Skills Self-Efficacy Scale
InstrumentsBackground Self‐efficacy has been shown to be positively related to undergraduate engineering students' achievement. Designing self‐efficacy measures to assess the multifaceted skills required of engineers could improve the predictive relationship between efficacy beliefs and performance. Purpose This study evaluates the factor structure, validity, and reliability of general and skill‐specific engineering self‐efficacy measures created for use with undergraduate engineering students. Design/Method Self‐efficacy items used for the measures were created and adapted from those used previously
The Situational Motivation Scale
InstrumentsThe purpose of the present research was to develop and validate a situational (or state) measure of motivation, the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). The SIMS is designed to assess the constructs of intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 1985, 1991) in field and laboratory settings. Five studies were conducted to develop and validate the SIMS. Overall, results show that the SIMS is composed of 4 internally consistent factors. The construct validity of the scale is also supported by correlations with other constructs as
Instrument to Measure the Entrepreneurial Mindset of Engineering Students
InstrumentsThis work in progress describes the development of an instrument to measure the entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students. The need for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students is being recognized by many universities. However, very few comprehensive, generalized and well-validated instruments are available for assessment purpose. Most research and educational efforts focus on the design and implementation of engineering entrepreneurship programs, but assessment practices have not kept up. There are several reasons for the shortfall in assessment practices: 1)