Principal Investigator
Andrew Grillo-Hill – WestEd
Project Description
This study evaluates the impact of the Future City program, a project-based engineering curriculum, on middle school students’ engineering skills, STEM motivation, and STEM identity. Using a matched comparison design, the study sample will include approximately 80 teachers and 1,600 students across multiple districts. Data collection includes student surveys administered at multiple time points, educator logs, classroom observations, and interviews to capture both outcomes and implementation fidelity. The study also examines variation in impacts across student subgroups and explores how differences in implementation and exposure to engineering content influence outcomes.
Research Questions
- What is the impact of Future City on middle school students’ engineering skills, STEM motivation, and STEM identity?
- How does participation influence students’ intentions to pursue STEM careers and engagement in STEM learning?
- How do impacts vary by student characteristics and implementation factors (e.g., fidelity, dosage, quality)?
