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National Science Foundation Award #0350341

SLC Catalyst: Childhood Contexts and Dispositions to Learning

Investigator(s):

Ruth Small (PI) ; Tanya Eckert (Co-PI) ; Barbara Fiese (Co-PI) ; Tiffany Koszalka (Co-PI) ; Joseph Shedd (Co-PI) ; Corinne Smith (Co-PI) ; Patricia Tinto (Co-PI)

Sponsor:

Syracuse University, NY 13244 3154432807

Start Date/Expiration Date

2003-10-01 to 2005-09-30 (amended 2005-03-29)

Awarded Amount to Date:

$250,000

Abstract: While no one can refute the critical importance of what happens inside the classroom, what happens outside the classroom can be equally if not more important in ultimate learning outcomes. These external influences and experiences need further in-depth exploration and integration into formal education in order to maximize educational achievement. Due to the varied and diverse scope of these outside factors and the challenge of weaving together external and internal components of learning, a center approach is the natural vehicle for coordinating, conducting and implementing this research. Such future research will address the interrelationships among (1) the contexts that impact learning including families, society and culture, health systems, community and community-based organizations, technology, transitional experiences, as well as schools and other formal educational settings; (2) dispositions to learning including motivation and curiosity, adaptability, activity level, temperament, attention, and attitudes toward and skills in learning from and with others; and (3) foundational academic skills including skills in reading, writing, interpretation and manipulation of visual information, oral expression, numeracy, and information literacy. This Science of Learning Center (SLC) catalyst grant will fund the study and dissemination of information concerning the ways in which institutional and non-institutional contexts of development in childhood (birth through grade 6) affect the development of children's learning and dispositions to learning, particularly the development of children's foundational academic skills. The outcomes of this project will be to: (1) develop a research road map, (2) demonstrate the success of new cross-disciplinary activities, and (3) foster and formalize the range of partnerships essential for a full Center proposal. The research road map will evolve from the outcomes of a series of guided workshops; workshops' proceedings will culminate in a report presenting a strategic plan for a Center. New multidisciplinary research activities will be fostered through the support of graduate and undergraduate honors students' summer pilot research projects; through these students, new or expanded multidisciplinary collaborations designed to address questions at the intersections of the sciences of learning's intellectual boundaries will be realized. Concerted efforts will be made to encourage participation of students from underrepresented groups, including the disabled. Existing and new partnerships essential for the range of research, education and outreach activities encompassing a full Center grant will be fostered using a variety of formal and informal activities, such as a seminar series, local workshops and research-education outreach programs with local community-based organizations for elementary and middle school students, particularly those from minority and disadvantaged groups living in urban areas. Broader impacts include (1) the contributions of the road map to the larger sciences of learning research agenda, (2) opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to pursue new lines of research and experience collaboration across disciplines, (3) nurturing collaborations and new relationships evolving into future innovative research projects and, (4) classroom applications to benefit students and society.

NSF Org:

SBE - Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences

Award Number:

0350341

Award Instrument:

Standard Grant

Program Manager:

Soo-Siang Lim
SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences

NSF Program(s):

SCIENCE OF LEARN CTR-CATALYSTS

Field Application(s):

Program Reference Code(s):

UNASSIGNED, 0000

Program Element Code(s):

7277