Research on Learning and Education (ROLE)

This program seeks to capitalize on important developments in a variety of fields related to human learning and to education. It will support research along a four-quadrant continuum that includes 1) brain research as a foundation for research on human learning; 2) fundamental research on behavioral, cognitive, affective and social aspects of human learning; 3) research on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in formal and informal educational settings; and 4) research on STEM learning in complex educational systems. ROLE seeks gains at the intersections of these areas, where issues arising from research and educational practice can be reconciled, and hypotheses generated in one area may be tested and refined in others. The ROLE Program aims to advance the knowledge base in and across these multidisciplinary areas.