ITEST Convening: Advancing Research on Youth Motivation in STEM

The ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers ) Learning Resource Center at EDC held a convening to develop a theoretical research framework to guide future research on youth motivation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), with a particular emphasis on populations most underrepresented in the STEM workforce.

Participants focused on two guiding questions:

1. What is currently known about motivation in STEM for underrepresented youth?
2. What can be done to cultivate new research around STEM motivation for underrepresented youth?

Anticipated results include the following:

• Development of new working relationships among participants
• Identification of ITEST program elements that foster effective STEM motivation, career discovery, and motivation
• Understanding of how ITEST impacts youth motivation in STEM

The results of the research framework should include new research efforts that address youth motivation in STEM. As a result, the ITEST community and the field at large will be better informed about how to define, validate, and replicate motivational aspects of the STEM workforce development strategies.