A Holistic Approach to Rural Education Research

Our research covers rural students starting from early childhood through early adolescence, with an emphasis on preschool, elementary school and middle school and high school developmental periods. Focusing on these ages allows for investigation of total child development, including motor skills, computational skills, social-emotional/behavioral skills and STEM career exposure. 

STEM and Healthy Development

Our focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and development is unique among other education research projects. We investigate STEM-related activities and their educational outcomes in rural communities from preschool to middle school and high school and beyond.

Target of research: Rural students' development from early childhood to adolescence 

Focus of the institute: STEM education and healthy developmental trajectories of rural youth

Research vision: A new holistic, interdisciplinary approach to the STEM education and healthy development of rural youth across key developmental periods

Areas of Focus

By taking an interdisciplinary approach to rural education, we will advance our understanding of how STEM learning and healthy development in rural areas can be measured, how existing strengths can be expanded and how the specific needs of rural students can be met.

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  Core 1: Preschool

  Both gross motor skills and computational thinking impact early development and school readiness, yet concurrent development of the two is an overlooked but essential practice to adequately support early childhood development.

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  Core 2: Elementary School

  Children’s social-emotional/behavioral (SEB) health is foundational in STEM learning and healthy development. Rural children have unique barriers that may intensify SEB risk, like limited access to support resources.

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  Core 3: Middle School and High School

  To improve entry into the STEM workforce, students should be provided with both STEM content and related career development activities. Immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences have shown great promise in increasing STEM learning and motivation.

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  Measurement Science

  Although measuring the results of conducted research is extremely important, many research efforts in rural education struggle to provide high-quality research analysis. With sound measurement methods in place, the institutes' researchers can frame research questions to focus on rurality.

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  IMMERSE Research Collaborative

  To help expand national rural STEM education research activities, the institute has created an intensive summer training institute and year-long mentoring program for these researchers across the U.S.