Involvement in and Perception of Education Research in the Discipline of Atmospheric Science

A Framework for Transformative Geoscience Education Research was a NSF-funded project whose goal was to identify grand challenges to educational research in the geosciences. Broadening participation in education research and encouraging the use of evidence-based practices in the classroom was identified as one of those challenges. Traditionally the community for atmospheric science education research has been small to non-existent, and literature assessing and promoting pedagogy in the discipline has been sparse compared to other geoscience disciplines. A survey was made available to a broad range of professionals in the field of atmospheric science. The responses were analyzed to collect data about:

1. The number of community members that are involved in atmospheric science education research
2. Whether or not atmospheric science education research is valued within the community, and to what level
3. Potential barriers to faculty involvement in atmospheric science education research
4. The resources necessary to encourage involvement in atmospheric science education research

Preliminary results of the survey are presented and recommendations are made to address barriers that exist for conducting education research and how to grow the size of the community for collaborative efforts. Ultimately this study hopes to set a foundation for improving education in the atmospheric sciences through increased peer-reviewed publications and the sharing of resources among atmospheric science professionals.