2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This study investigates how secondary (Grades 6-12) STEM teachers translate authentic university research experiences into classroom instruction, illuminating the decision-making processes that shape the adaptation of complex scientific and engineering work for pre-college learners. Rather than evaluating a specific intervention, this research builds foundational understanding of how teachers conceptualize, modify, and contextualize authentic research to fit the realities of secondary education.
The study is situated within a multi-year university summer research program in which middle and high school teachers collaborated with faculty and graduate students on projects such as modeling wind farm wake effects, environmental monitoring, and machine learning. These experiences serve as a lens for examining how teachers “find the fit” between research and instruction, including the pedagogical, curricular, and logistical considerations that guide adaptation.
This study is guided by the following research questions:
1. How do secondary STEM teachers adapt and integrate university-based research projects into classroom lessons?
2. What factors influence teachers’ decisions about which elements of the research experience to include in curriculum modules?
3. What challenges do teachers encounter in translating university-based research into the constraints of the secondary classroom?
Grounded in constructivist and experiential learning theory, this qualitative study employs a constant comparative method to analyze interviews, classroom artifacts, and lesson plans from participating teachers. The analysis focuses on how educators negotiate authenticity, curriculum standards, and instructional feasibility while designing lessons inspired by their research experiences.
Preliminary findings suggest that teachers engage in a dynamic process of pedagogical reconstruction, selectively reframing research procedures and data analyses to align with students’ developmental levels and classroom constraints. Teachers use accessible data sources, modify tools and technologies, and extend concepts beyond the original research scope to foster engagement and relevance. These actions reflect a form of professional sensemaking in which educators balance the rigor of authentic STEM with the pragmatics of classroom instruction.
This study contributes to foundational knowledge in pre-college engineering education by articulating a conceptual model of teacher translation—how educators transform authentic research experiences into meaningful, standards-aligned learning opportunities for middle and high school students. Outcomes include insights into teachers’ adaptive expertise and recommendations for designing professional learning experiences that cultivate the skills and dispositions necessary for effective translation of authentic STEM contexts into secondary education.