Publications
The history of Pathways includes multiple phases over the span of nearly ten years, and is detailed on the About page. The collection of research publications below moves from the development of the current Pathways suite of tools to the initial competency framework, and also includes the transitional research between frameworks. From the project’s earliest iterations, we’ve been building on our knowledge of professional competencies and career development in informal STEM learning (ISL).
Current Pathways research
In the most recent phase of Pathways development (NSF #2215274), the project team synthesized feedback from ISL professionals to refresh the initial competency framework and develop support resources. The current and forthcoming resources below show how the suite of tools was developed and evaluated.
- Creating Pathways for Informal STEM Learning Career Development (2025)
Article in ASTC journal Dimensions describing the origins and development of Pathways. - Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning: Study of Individual Users (2025)
Report of summative evaluation exploring the value and utility of Pathways tools for individual professionals. - Professional Pathways in Informal STEM Learning: Study of Organizational Users (2025)
Visual report of study exploring the value and utility of Pathways tools for organizations. - ISL Professional Pathways: Tools for Building Informal STEM Learning Expertise (2025)
Poster from Visitor Studies Association virtual conference presents an overview of the team’s summative evaluation process, findings, and next steps for Pathways. - Building Supports: (Re)introducing the Informal STEM Learning Professional Competency Framework (2024)
Poster from Visitor Studies Association conference presents a selection of the systematic approaches the team used to improve and develop Pathways’ support resources.
Transitional research
To develop complementary tools for the framework, the project team conducted a series of studies to better understand the priority needs of ISL professionals. The reports below share insight into how the initial framework works for the broader ISL field, the tools and resources that make a framework more useful, and the degree to which ISL professionals have a sense of belonging at their organizations and with the ISL field.
- ISL Framework Project: Baseline Survey Findings (2024)
Report presents findings from 630 responses to a survey that sought to understand the current lived experiences of ISL professionals; determine factors around professional learning that may enhance belonging within institutions and the ISL field, and to the success of a career in ISL; and gain insights into current awareness and knowledge of the initial framework. - Memo Report: Takeaways from the Transference Panel (2023)
Memo report presents findings from a two-day panel with 11 ISL professionals that explored the transferability of the initial framework and the underlying research from the DACUM—or, Developing a Curriculum—Competency Profiles across types of informal science institutions. - Memo Report: Takeaways from Listening Sessions (2023)
Memo report presents findings from eight listening sessions with 71 ISL professionals who provided reactions to the initial framework and suggestions for supporting resources. - Trends and Priorities for ISL Professionals in 2022: A Field Scan (2022)
Field scan, conducted between October 2022 and January 2023, examines professional competency frameworks, job postings, and academic curricula in the ISL field to inform updates to framework.
Foundational framework research
To create and shape the initial competency framework (NSF #1514815, 1514884, 1514890, and 1515315), the project team researched professional learning, identified professional competencies, and validated the preliminary framework. The articles and reports below document the development process.
- Building an Informal STEM Learning Professional Competency Framework (2021)
Article describes the full research and development process for creating the initial competency framework. - Redefining Professionalism for the Informal STEM Learning Field (2020)
Article provides background on professional competency frameworks, including a comparison of frameworks from closely aligned fields such as visitor studies, interpretation, afterschool, and environmental education. - Validating an Informal STEM Learning Framework: Findings from Empirical Research (2018)
Report presents research on the preliminary framework. - Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) Workshop Feedback (2016) and Verification Report (2017)
Reports present findings of how the team identified professional competencies using the DACUM—or, Developing a Curriculum—process and the subsequent verification of competencies included in the initial competency framework. - Characteristics and Dimensions of Professional Development Frameworks: How Emerging Fields of Expert Knowledge Identify and Advance the Competencies of Professionals in Those Fields (2016)
Paper reviews a selection of professional development frameworks for common characteristics. - Professional Learning Frameworks: A Short Review of the Literature (2016)
Review shares synthesis of literature about learning in adulthood, professional learning, professional learning frameworks, and models of professional learning frameworks.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. 2215274. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.