Chapter 8 Research and Publications
8.0.0.0.1 All NSF-funded projects are expected to advance the frontiers of knowledge (National Science Foundation (NSF), 2019). The ATE program’s targeted research track funds studies to generate knowledge and build an evidence base for technician education and the development of a skilled technical workforce. ATE PIs whose projects engaged in research were asked about the purpose and status of their research, their methods and findings, and their dissemination strategies.
8.0.0.0.2 Publications are a vehicle not only for disseminating research findings, but also for sharing promising practices, lessons learned, and information about project developments and materials. Survey respondents were asked about the number and types of publications produced by their projects, such as articles, reports, white papers, and other documents of publishable quality (not including projects’ annual reports to NSF, evaluation reports, or conference materials).
8.1 ATE Targeted Research
8.1.0.1 Thirteen percent of ATE projects conducted some type of research.
Ten ATE projects were specifically funded to conduct targeted research in 2020. At the time of the 2020 survey, 22% were in the planning phase, 33% were collecting data, 22% were analyzing data, and 22% were writing up results.
In addition to these 10, 32 other ATE projects indicated they conducted some sort of research in 2020. Together, these projects reported 65 research studies. Examples included conducting descriptive research (45%), experimental or quasi-experimental research (15%), correlational research (14%), document reviews (12%), meta-analysis (3%), and other research (11%).
8.1.0.1.1 Research findings are frequently disseminated through conference presentations or articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Figure 8.1: Percentage of projects that share their research via various dissemination channels (n=41)
8.2 Publications
8.2.0.1 Seventeen percent developed materials intended for publication.
While publication is an expectation for all projects engaged in targeted research, many other ATE projects also prepare publications of various types. Therefore, all ATE PIs were asked if their projects developed publications (excluding annual reports prepared for NSF, evaluation reports, and conference proceedings).
8.2.0.1.1 51 ATE projects prepared a total of 170 publications.
PIs reported 10 other publication types, such as a textbook chapter and news articles. Additionally, the ATE Collaborative Outreach and Engagement Project distributed 5,500 copies of the ATE Impacts book.