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), 2024). 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 Eleven percent of ATE projects conducted some type of research.
Nine ATE projects were specifically funded to conduct targeted research in 2023. Between them, they reported 14 active studies. At the time of the survey, 7% of those studies were collecting data, 43% were analyzing data, 29% were writing up results, and 29% had findings published or submitted for publication.
In addition to these 9 targeted research projects, 25 other ATE projects indicated they conducted some sort of research in 2023. Together, these projects reported 48 research studies. Examples included conducting descriptive research (71%), experimental or quasi-experimental research (29%), correlational research (29%), document reviews (23%), and other research (4%).
8.1.0.1.1 Research findings are frequently disseminated through conference presentations or articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Figure 8.1: Percentage of research activities shared via various dissemination channels (n=48)
8.2 Publications
8.2.0.1 Twenty percent of developed materials were 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 61 ATE projects prepared a total of 200 publications.
PIs reported 80 other publication types, such as journal special issues, news posts, blogs, and newsletter articles.