A field-initiated vision of research infrastructure for STEM education

STEM education research has historically been under-equipped, relying on standardized tests and questionnaires while other fields deploy space telescopes and particle accelerators. What would happen if we designed research infrastructure for STEM education to address our priority needs? The INTERACT Incubator is a research coordination network whose goal was to develop a field-initiated vision of novel infrastructure that would enable aspirational research that could advance equity in STEM education. The incubator brought together a diverse cohort of experimental social psychologists who study social cues in STEM, experimental cognitive psychologists who study learning in authentic classroom settings, as well as education stakeholders and technologists with expertise in digital infrastructure for education. In Phase 1 we conducted a needs assessment, where we brainstormed aspirational research studies and identified three core infrastructure requirements: coordinated data collection and measurement systems, sustainable large-scale research–practice partnership frameworks, and knowledge repositories combined with professional learning networks. In Phase 2 we designed an integrated solution to address these needs. The INTERACT Incubator’s solution differs from existing research infrastructure because ours was systematically designed to address research needs identified by the field itself, rather than building research services on top of existing research capacities or operational systems. This commentary documents a consensus vision for novel infrastructure that would enable the research needed to achieve meaningful progress in STEM education.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of STEM Education
Published
2025-10-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-025-00581-z
Primary Topic
Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A field-initiated vision of research infrastructure for STEM education

Christina Barbieri, Allison Godwin, Katherine T. U. Emerson, Harmony Jankowski et al.
International Journal of STEM Education
Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
article

A field-initiated vision of research infrastructure for STEM education

Christina Barbieri, Allison Godwin, Katherine T. U. Emerson, Harmony Jankowski, Janice Mak, Erin Baumgartner, Emily Reeves Fyfe, Amanda B. Diekman, Tongyao Zhang, Robert L. Goldstone, Tim Clark, Steve Bernardini, Elizabeth Tipton, Andrew White, Percival G. Matthews, Clarissa A. Thompson, Mary Claire Murphy, Elizabeth A. Canning, Megan Merrick, Jason C. Chow, Dorainne Green, Elida V. Laski, Benjamin Motz, Elizabeth A. Gunderson, Pooja G. Sidney, Shahana Ansari, Heidi A. Vuletich, Mark G. Stewart, Franki Y. H. Kung, Winona Snapp‐Childs, Veronica X. Yan, Andrew S.C. Rice, Sebahat Gok, Kathryn L. Boucher, Cristina D. Zepeda, Allison Master, Xiao‐Yin Chen, Michael Beam, Maegan Arney, Matthew Callison, John Gensic, Ambar Narwal, Brad Newkirk, Brandon Olszewski, Ming Shelby, Ayla Winegar
article en

Abstract

STEM education research has historically been under-equipped, relying on standardized tests and questionnaires while other fields deploy space telescopes and particle accelerators. What would happen if we designed research infrastructure for STEM education to address our priority needs? The INTERACT Incubator is a research coordination network whose goal was to develop a field-initiated vision of novel infrastructure that would enable aspirational research that could advance equity in STEM education. The incubator brought together a diverse cohort of experimental social psychologists who study social cues in STEM, experimental cognitive psychologists who study learning in authentic classroom settings, as well as education stakeholders and technologists with expertise in digital infrastructure for education. In Phase 1 we conducted a needs assessment, where we brainstormed aspirational research studies and identified three core infrastructure requirements: coordinated data collection and measurement systems, sustainable large-scale research–practice partnership frameworks, and knowledge repositories combined with professional learning networks. In Phase 2 we designed an integrated solution to address these needs. The INTERACT Incubator’s solution differs from existing research infrastructure because ours was systematically designed to address research needs identified by the field itself, rather than building research services on top of existing research capacities or operational systems. This commentary documents a consensus vision for novel infrastructure that would enable the research needed to achieve meaningful progress in STEM education.

International Journal of STEM EducationVol. 12(1)
Boston College (US), Boston University (US), Northwestern University (US), University of Denver (US), University of Indianapolis (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), University of Kentucky (US), Kent State University (US), University of Georgia (US), Vanderbilt University (US), Washington University in St. Louis (US), Cornell University (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Systems Analytics (United States) (US), EP Analytics (United States) (US), Fermi Research Alliance (US), Indiana University Bloomington (US), McDonald's (United States) (US), Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library (US), International Society for Technology in Education (US), University of Houston (US), Arizona State University (US), Washington State University (US), Rice University (US), University of Delaware (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US), Semtech (Canada) (CA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.