2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Modeling a Conceptual Framework of College- and Career-Readiness in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics): A Comparative Study of American and Japanese Students' Global Competencies
| Project/Area Number |
20K14028
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| Research Institution | Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science |
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Principal Investigator |
小村 桐子 東京薬科大学, 生命科学部, 特命准教授 (80861682)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Higher Education / Career-Readiness / Education Reform / Global Competencies / STEM Education |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The Principal Investigator (PI) conducted the final phase of the comparative study between Japanese and American graduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). First, the PI designed and collected data of Japanese graduate students’ real-world experiences based on the Professional Science Master’s curriculum in the U.S., such as internship and entrepreneurship experiences in industry or at research institutes. Second, the PI collected data of American working professional students at the graduate level in STEM to examine the students’ global competencies in scientific and intercultural communications.
Based on the comparative study, the PI evaluated the framework in consideration of the previous studies of cognitive learning in self-efficacy, motivation, and attribution. Moreover, the PI interviewed key stakeholders of several start-up companies in the U.S. to investigate what specific soft-skills and degrees are needed for the future employees in STEM fields. Finally, the PI performed different forms of quantitative analysis based on the data shown by OECD to create a model conceptual framework to explain the relationship between students’ competencies and college-and-career readiness in STEM. The outcomes of the study lead discussions on international studies and online teaching and learning at the Annual Conference in American Education Research Association.
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