Sam Behseta, Ph.D. - US grants

Transforming Academic and Cultural Identidad through Biliteracy (TACIB) is a Partnership of California State University-Fullerton (CSUF), the Anaheim Union H.S. District and the Discovery Science Center as Core Partners, and Anaheim City School District and the California Association for Bilingual Education as Supporting Partners, that advances fifth to eighth grade student achievement in and attitudes toward mathematics and science through integrated dual-language/dual-immersion strategies in an urban predominantly Latino community in southern California. The TACIB prototype recognizes home linguistics and culture as assets, is integrated in multiple dimensions of the educational support system (formal, informal, pre-service, in-service, family, community, higher education), and honors and develops positive STEM identity and cultural identity among students who speak Spanish and English. TACIB further achieves its goals for middle school students and promotes sustainable outcomes by: increasing the quality and number of teachers in mathematics and science with bilingual authorization in the partner school districts; engaging parents in student science and mathematics learning; expanding the capacity of an informal science institution (Discovery Science Center) to offer programs in Spanish; developing awareness of and engagement with science and mathematics education in elementary and secondary schools among university disciplinary STEM faculty; and bolstering the capacity of CSUF to prepare bilingual teachers of science and mathematics.

Through the use of a multiple-methodology research employing qualitative and quantitative strategies, including quasi-experimental design with treatment and comparison groups, the TACIB research agenda addresses the following questions: a) What are the effects of a dual-language approach on student achievement in and attitudes toward science and mathematics?; b) What instructional activities in dual-language classrooms facilitate students' active engagement in learning science and mathematics?; and c) How does parental engagement with dual-language teachers and community partners enhance parents' knowledge of and participation in students' educational activities? Through the work of this Prototype MSP, the STEM education community will benefit from the knowledge built related to what it takes to create dynamic learning ecosystems that respect and engage the linguistic and cultural dimensions of students, families, and communities in order to promote achievement in and positive dispositions toward mathematics and science.

A significant number of modern scientific studies rely upon processing and analyzing a large amount of data for information extraction, scientific discovery, and decision making. This motivates the need for training a new generation of data scientists with interdisciplinary skills and a deep understanding of appropriate and applicable data analysis methods, as well as the ability to communicate the outcomes of the scientific inquiry. Historically, a considerable number of students graduating from traditional programs in statistics, mathematics, and computer science are not prepared to handle the emerging challenges of data-intensive problems. To address this issue, this project aims to develop a cross-disciplinary curricular, research, and career preparation program in data science. Moreover, it will create a paradigm for taking data science training from academia into real-world applications through close partnership with industry, government, and non-profit organizations. This project will have a broad societal impact by creating a diverse community of learners, equipped with the required skills to join the workforce.

Through engaging students selected from a pool of highly diverse populations in STEM areas, this project, California Data Experience Transformation (CADET), will facilitate data science training via curriculum development, hands-on experiences, and close interactions with both academic and non-academic organizations. The CADET project gives rise to the creation of an integrative, dialectical, and interactive ecosystem between the University of California at Irvine, California State University at Fullerton, and Cypress College. These institutions represent the three tiers of higher learning in California, namely, University of California, spearheading research and discovery; California State University, combining research and pedagogy; and Community College, offering two-year preparatory programs. The primary components of the CADET project include generating data science opportunities for underrepresented STEM majors, developing and implementing modern data science curricula at the three participating institutes and disseminating them to other institutions, and finally creating a gateway to diverse career opportunities through mentoring and direct involvement in real-world projects. More than 120 CADET scholars will participate in a host of activities including a summer bootcamp, team science training, weekly seminars, and a collaborative research project, all of which will lead to presentations at symposiums and conferences. Ultimately, through implementing new curricula and student and faculty training, the CADET project will establish a data science culture across STEM disciplines that extends beyond the lifetime of this award.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.