ITEST Resources

Propensity score (PS) methods provide viable strategies for reducing selection bias in non-experimental (observational) studies. An NSF funded project previously used propensity score analysis to examine the impact of special educational programs on advanced mathematics course enrollment (Rodriguez de Gil, et al., 2012). Results indicated that students who enrolled in career academies were almost twice as likely to enroll in a Calculus course. Encouraged by the findings from the previous study, we are currently using PS and discrete-time survival analyses to investigate rigorous high school

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a model of factors contributing to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and career orientation, examining the complex paths and relationships among social, motivational, and instructional factors underlying these outcomes for middle school youth. Social cognitive career theory provided the foundation for the research because of its emphasis on explaining mechanisms which influence both career orientations and academic performance. Key constructs investigated were youth STEM interest, self-efficacy, and career

Lifelong learning is a beautiful phrase, full of ambition while remaining conveniently vague. Everyone claims they’re a lifelong learner. But what does that mean, and what does it look like in practice? The second event in a three-part Dialogues with Gensler series—held March 26, 2015 in Chicago—explores what a proactive approach to lifelong learning might look like in both the workplace and in academia. How do we challenge traditional paths to educational success? And how can we promote spaces in our everyday lives that foster collaboration, discovery, and professional development? New

The CryptoClub Cipher Handbook is recommended for use in informal learning environments such as afterschool and enrichment programs. It teaches cryptography as an application of mathematics topics from the middle-grade curriculum. It covers six ciphers: Caesar, additive, keyword, multiplicative, affine, and Vigenère. The mathematics involved includes negative numbers, decimals, percents, prime numbers, common factors, inverses, methods for solving linear equations, division with remainder, and pattern recognition. Overarching themes throughout the book are problem solving and reasoning. The

A multidisciplinary project from the University of Arizona aims to encourage elementary students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by involving them in research involving their own sleep patterns.