/ STEM

STEM

We study the development of disciplinary thinking in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This research is interleaved across multiple levels from the neural and behavioral studies of mathematical cognition and motivation, to student learning processes in and out of schools, to instructional interventions and professional development studies. We examine math and science learning across the developmental spectrum: infants, toddlers, pre-adolescents, adolescents, and adults in both formal and informal learning contexts.

At the K-12 level, we work with schools, school districts, and entire states to examine and co-design large-scale improvement efforts such as networked improvement communities and instructional coaching systems. This work often includes detailed examination of classroom discourse on mathematics and how teachers support student learning with cognitively demanding tasks.

At the higher education level, we work with instructors and departmental teams to co-design and study the impacts of instructional reform efforts on student learning processes in and out of the classroom, student performance in current and future courses, and student persistence in academic pathways, with a focus on equity of outcomes. We lead efforts at Pitt in STEM discipline-based education research (DBER). We join other public universities in the SEISMIC collaborative in sharing interventions and advanced analytic strategies.