middle school career research project

Career Exploration for Students and Kids (19 Free Resources)

By: Author Amanda L. Grossman

Posted on Last updated: December 29, 2023

Teach students and kids about careers with these 19 free worksheets and lesson plans. Career exploration for students to do.

One of the most important reasons behind a formal education – besides teaching your students how to think for themselves – is to get kids ready to take on an engaging and exciting career.

And a career? Well, that’s the foundation to any person being able financially provide for themselves – what we call, financial independence.

That’s why I take a real interest in helping kids, tweens, and teens get the best fun career exploration activities resources out there.

So that one day, they can find a fulfilling job and be able to earn enough money to not only survive, but thrive.

Career Exploration for Students

What all is involved in career exploration for students?

To be honest, there’s a lot to cover here.

You want to provide fun and engaging activities for topics like:

• Understanding Careers : The foundational blocks of understanding how a person earns money, having a job versus working on a career, how to develop your career, etc.
• Career Interest Assessments : Which careers intersect a child’s natural abilities and a child’s interests?
• Career Investigation : What does a day look like when holding down a job in one of those career fields that interests a student? What’s the salary like? This can include activities in the classroom, research, and also shadowing.
• Skill Identification and Development : What skills do they need to pursue a job that interests them? What level of education would they need?
• Understanding How to Get Hired : Things like interviews, creating a resume, job searches, etc. are critical for students to know how to do.
• Career Stepping Stones : What steps can the student take right now (and before they graduate high school) in order to set themselves just a few steps closer to getting into that career field (i.e. internships, volunteer activities, writing a first resume (here are free teen resume templates ), type of afterschool/weekend jobs)?
• Income and Paycheck Management : Discussing how to not only manage a paycheck from a real-job, but also how to manage your career so that your income more than matches current cost of living needs. Also, going over paycheck taxes, pay type (salary, hourly, commissions), insurance, workplace retirement contributions, and other deductions.

Whew – that list wasn’t meant to overwhelm you.

Rather, I wanted to inspire you with what an important and life-changing topic you’re covering with your students and kids.

Plus, to outline some of the areas you can cover with these fun career activities and resources I’ve found for you, below.

Career Exploration for Kids – Free Career Assessments

First up, let’s talk about how to get your kids and students actually interested in career exploration activities.

There’s no better way to pique a student’s interest than to find out what THEY are most interested in learning about.

One way to do this is to start off your unit of study with free career assessments.

1. Truity.com Career Assessment

I spoke with the people at Truity.com, and they said a good age minimum to take their free career assessment is 14/15 years of age.

The test is free to take, plus you get a basic report with results. You don’t even need to have a student register for them to do this!

However, if you want to be able to view each of your student’s results, you’d have to sign up for a Pro account.

2. CareerOneStop’s Career Assessment

This free, 30-question career quiz from the U.S. Department of Labor will help a student figure out some possible career choices.

3. O*NET Interest Profiler

Another career assessment test sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor is O*NET’s interest profiler. There are 60 questions in total.

Psst: want even more career websites for students? Here's 14 career websites for high school students .

4. CommonLit Career Day at Pixie Academy

Age: 4th Grade

Here's a reading passage that's centered around some great career and job terms. The theme of the story is Pixie finding a new job.

Assessment questions and a teacher's guide are included.

Career Exploration Worksheets for Students

While I don’t recommend you center your entire career unit around career exploration worksheets, the ones below can definitely add to students discovering jobs, industries, etc.

1. Find Your “Right Now” Job

Suggested Grades: 6-8

Scholastic has some fantastic worksheets and lesson plans to help with career exploration for students.

In the “ Find Your Right Now Job ” worksheet, students will research jobs and apprenticeships around their area of interests to find two jobs that they could apply to (when they're a bit older).

2. Career Research Worksheet

Here’s a simple, one-page worksheet you can get for free with a free account on Teachers Pay Teachers.

It will help focus your student’s career research.

3. Career Family Tree

This free worksheet of fun career activities has an idea that I love – for students to create a family career tree. They’ll need to ask family members and do the research, which of course is a great way for kids to understand their loved ones even better (plus to learn a thing or two).

4. Classroom Job Application

With a free Teachers Pay Teachers account, get this simple classroom job application your students can fill out to “apply” for classroom jobs.

5. Earning Income Career Earning Worksheet

BizWorld has this free, simple worksheet to help your students research a career and salary information.

6. Collection of Career Exploration Worksheets (9-12 grades)

Here’s a bunch of different career activities and worksheets for grades 9-12 .

Worksheets include:

• Reality Check Worksheet
• Networking Bingo
• Speed Interviewing

Career Lesson Plans

Looking for more than just career preparedness worksheets?

Check out these enter career lesson plans, available for free.

Hint: many of them include both worksheets and videos.

1. National Retail Federation's Library

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has a program called RISE Up , a certifying program with curriculum that helps students and young adults get hired in the retail industry.

Check out the RISE Up classroom activities section to find lots of short videos from people actually in the retail industry, answering questions students might have and teaching students about their industry. It also includes a worksheet for each video.

2. PWC’s Earn Your Future Digital Classroom

Check out Level 3 (for Grades 9 – 12), Module Chart Your Course . It talks about:

• The relationship between education and careers
• The opportunity cost of pursuing additional education
• The importance of monetary and nonmonetary compensation when selecting a job

3. BizKid’s It’s a Job to Get a Job

Download an entire lesson plan for high schoolers that include topics like:

• Job search techniques
• Interviewing
• Adding value as an employee

4. NGPF's Career Unit

This is a full-year course, with the following units:

• Unit Plan & Assessments
• Career Basics
• Choosing a Career
• Workplace Skills
• Finding a Job
• Your LinkedIn Profile
• Resumes & Cover Letters
• Interviewing for a Job
• Outcomes of a Job Interview
• Starting a New Job
• Career Sucesss

5. Louisiana Department of Education's Virtual Workplace Experience

The state of Louisiana has come up with these free resources to help students explore careers in LA's highest-demand industries. These are project-based learning activities.

Honestly, there's a ton here.

They've broken it down into the following units:

• General Resources
• Portfolio Projects Resources
• Getting Started
• Healthcare and Pharmacy
• Automotive Service & Repair
• Construction Crafts/Skilled Trades
• Information Technology
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Transportation and Logistics
• Business Management and Finance
• Sales and Customer Service

Career Games for Kids

These career games for kids and teens create an engaging way to teach career awareness.

1. Career Charades

Age: 7-9 years

Students are asked to brainstorm lots of different careers (it's suggested that they can ask parents, grandparents, and others to come up with ideas ahead of time).

Each student writes these ideas onto a piece of paper, and everyone takes turns acting out a career while others try to guess what they're doing.

Great for better awareness about career options!

2. Claim Your Future

Students select different career paths, are given a typical salary, and then are given various spending choices. The amount of money they spend throughout the game is tracked so that they can see, and make any adjustments as needed.

3. The Payoff

Suggested Age Range: 14 years and older

Practical Money Skills has come up with another free online career game, and this time it's all about two teenagers trying to start up a business in a competitive atmosphere.

Students will have to evaluate business deals, learn how to grow their business, and how to overcome financial challenges in business and in life.

4. Auction Adventures – Auctioneer Career Game for Kids

Suggested Age Range: Grades 3-5

Being paid by commission is wayyyyy different than getting a salary (or, even, being paid hourly). You have to actually sell something to make any money!

This game has your students calculate their commission rates while, at the same time, learning about how auctioneers work in a variety of different places.

Here's a set of worksheets to go along with this game.

5. The Uber Game

Like it or not, the “gig economy” where people are not full employees of companies, but still accept gigs from them and earn a small or substantial amount of money on the side, seems to be here to stay.

So, kids should understand how this can fit into their career and money plans!

The Uber Game gives your teen a scenario, such as they have a $1,000 mortgage payment due in a week, and then asks them to try and earn enough money through accepting gigs in order to pay that bill.

Can they do it? Is it hard or easy? Can they sustain themselves on a gig job?

Psst: You’ll want to check out my 31 free personal finance homeschool curriculum , as some of the resources also have free career resources.

Career Research for Students

When students research a career, they need to look at it from several different angles before deciding if it’s possibly on their “Career Hitlist”.

Here are the different things to research for a career:

• Find Income information : Salary, or hourly pay? What’s the range? Do people have this as their only job, or do they need to supplement with a second job to “make ends meet” (i.e. pay all their bills plus save money each month)?
• Ask People and Watch Interviews : Your student will want to make sure a day in the life of a potential profession is something they’d actually be interested in. Interviewing current employees in a profession, or even watching videos where professionals are interviewed can be really helpful.
• Find Shadow Opportunities : Students can go shadow a job within your school district, or with a family/friend. Or, they can take part in a Take Your Child to Work day at their parent’s/aunt’s employer. 

Psst: Have you ever heard of CareerVillage ? Students can ask career-related questions and get them answered by professionals, for free! Students of all ages are accepted, and they’ll need to create an account (for free) to ask a question.

1. How to Research a “Day in the Life”

You want your students to feel what it’s like to be on the job in a career path they’re researching.

Help them to do this by:

• Career Biographies : There are a vast number of what I like to call career biographies that help a child understand what it’s actually like to pursue a certain career field. I’ve got an article on 22 career books for kids , broken down by age and profession type.
• Career Videos : These can be really helpful, particularly when funds don’t allow for school field trips. MyAmericanFarm.org has a great collection of 3 to 26-minute videos on all different types of agricultural careers . PathSource has an impressive collection of career interview videos. Kids Work! Has a nice collection of ca r eer videos for kids (Grades 3-8). You can also search YouTube for “Day in the Life of _______”.
• Career Shadowing : Career shadowing was quite cool when I was in high school. Students should be encouraged to shadow someone at their job, whether it’s a parent/family member, or even someone within the school district. Reach out to your principal, vice principal, administrative assistants, and anyone else working at your school district to see if you can set up some job shadowing to go along with your career unit.
• Career Interviewing : You could have your students brainstorm a list of interview questions for someone in a job they’re curious about, and then actually help them find a person to interview either by email or in person. Imagine what they could learn from the experience!
• Take Your Child to Work Day : My sister and I both took turns taking the train to Washington D.C. to my aunt’s, and then she would take us into her job at NBC for a “Take Your Child to Work Day”. It was SO neat! It’s really a perfect way to get a taste for what a day in a job looks like (not to mention, motivate a child to want to do better at school so they can get some of the cool positions they get to see). Here's how you can do take your child to work day activities .
• Career Videos : These can be really helpful, particularly when funds don’t allow for school field trips. MyAmericanFarm.org has a great collection of 3 to 26-minute videos on all different types of agricultural careers . PathSource has an impressive collection of career interview videos. Kids Work! Has a nice collection of ca r eer videos for kids (Grades 3-8).
• Career Articles : CommonLit has some Day in the Life career articles, such as A Day in the Life of an Astronaut . Also, ReadWorks has some of these articles.

2. How to Research Income Information

While it used to be difficult to figure out income averages for a career or job type, it’s quite simple nowadays thanks to some seriously great, free, resources provided by the Department of Labor.

Here’s a one-stop salary finder , where you enter the occupation and your location to get an idea of the average pay.

It also offers a listing of professions, so students can click around by career cluster (or category) and just explore.

Psst: another important thing to make students aware of through research? Are career projections. In other words, is an industry or job path they want to pursue growing, or are the jobs getting scarcer? Here’s a great resource from Workforce Solutions (for just the Houston-Galveston area, though it still drives the point home about the importance of this question) that shares percentages for various careers.

3. Lessons to Understand Paycheck Taxes and Deductions

EverFI has free financial literacy lessons for kids and students, and Lesson 3 is on income and taxes .

Students will be given different ideas about careers, as well as the pros and cons to each.

Career Projects for Middle School Students

Looking for a career project your middle school students will enjoy?

1. Middle School Exploratory Tasks

Kentucky's Department of Education has a really cool resource – a group of middle school career projects, broken down by 16 different career clusters (and 80 different career pathways within those clusters).

Not only that, but they have student work samples for each one!

There are projects and exploratory tasks for careers in:

• Agriculture
• Human Services
• … and ten others
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A Career Research Project for Middle School

• Kellie Hayden
• Categories : Lesson plans for middle school social studies
• Tags : Teaching middle school grades 6 8

At the middle school level, students should start thinking about what they really want to do so that they can start preparing for that career. Students will complete a career inventory, research three careers and present the information in the project to the class.

Career Inventory

Now that students have been in the school system for several years, some may have decided that they really don’t want to go to college for more than eight years to be a doctor. However, some do not know what they want to do.

Some schools use printed career inventories and these can become part of this project. However, there are many free career inventories online that student can complete. Teachers should try them out before asking students to go online. Many websites ask for email addresses to send the results. The teacher could have all the students give the teacher’s school email address so that all the results go to the teacher first. However, teachers should follow their school Internet policies when completing this project.

Once the career inventories are completed, students should have a list of possible careers that they might be interested in researching. Students should select three careers on which they would like to complete additional research.

Career Research

Now that students have three possible careers, they can start researching those jobs. They need to find out the following for each career:

1. Career Preparation

• Amount of years of college and or job training needed: on the job training, one year certificate, Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree.
• Amount of training time on the job before a full salary can be earned.

2. Job Description

• Describe the day-to-day duties and tasks that are required of the job.
• Describe equipment and/or technology that will be used on the job.
• Describe the setting for the career, such as a hospital, ship, office building, outdoors, etc.
• Explain the parts of the country where a student can find this job.

3. Pay or Salary

• Describe a starting salary or rate of pay per hour for this job (sometimes students find a top salary that is unrealistic for a beginning worker).

When students have found the information for three careers, they need to prepare a report that they will share as a presentation. First, they need to decide what career they like best from all of the information. Then, they need to report on why this career is the best fit for them. They should give the facts about the other jobs and why the other two jobs are not a good fit for them. They also need to find a visual aid, such as equipment/technology used on the job, uniform worn, place of work, etc.

Presentation and Assessment

Once students have written up their reports on their top choice for a career, they need to write it out on note cards. Students need to practice presenting their reports as homework. Then, they will present their information to the class.

To assess the presentation, teachers can use a rubric. The criteria for the rubric could be as follows: career information and facts, voice, eye contact, and visual aids. Teachers can have students write out their report in a final copy format and assess that as well.

This project is one that students will see has a real-world application. Most will be very excited to be thinking about their future and what they really want to be when they grow up.

This post is part of the series: Help Your Students Set Future Goals & Plan for Careers With These Lesson Plans

It’s never too early for students to think about what they will do once their graduation cap is tossed in the air and high school is behind them. Help your students prepare for and think about their future with these lesson plans meant to motivate and inspire.

• Help Your Students Reach For the Stars With a Classroom Goal Tree
• Project for Middle School Students to Research Careers
• A Lesson on Goal Setting for Students: A Vital Skill for Success

In Partnership With

Career Exploration in the Middle Grades: Playbooks for Educators and Students

Middle grades educators have the exciting opportunity to interact with students at a pivotal time in their development. The middle grades are “the finding place” that invites young adolescents to be adventurous explorers. Career exploration is a cornerstone of this process and is associated with both positive educational and employment outcomes, keeps students engaged in school, and helps them develop a better sense of self.

That’s why ASA and AMLE have teamed up to create two playbooks that equip educators and young adolescents with roadmaps for effective career exploration. In the educator guide, you will find helpful resources like implementation guides, case studies, and program sustainability resource to help you map your journey from beginning initiatives to school-wide practice. In the student playbook, you’ll find a variety of activities and materials for use directly with kids to help them learn about themselves and think about their futures.

Templates and Resources

Teacher Action Guide

Are you a teacher ready to kickstart career exploration at your school? This guide provides a helpful checklist and guiding questions/tips to aid in your planning process.

Download Now

Counselor Action Guide

Are you a counselor ready to kickstart career exploration at your school? This guide provides a helpful checklist and guiding questions/tips to aid in your planning process.

School and District Leader Action Guide

Are you a school or district leader ready to kickstart career exploration at your school? This guide provides a helpful checklist and guiding questions/tips to aid in your planning process.

Sustainability Action Guide

All members of the team should plan with an eye toward sustainability. This guide provides a helpful checklist and guiding questions/tips to keep you on the right track.

Programming Year at a Glance

Mapping programming across the school year can help you visualize your program and support accountability. Completing this calendar template will help you keep tabs on your program goals and keep program objectives top of mind.

Download Template

Download Example

3 Year Program Goals

Programs are only as effective as they are sustainable. Using this worksheet to create three-year goals will help you prioritize outcomes and determine appropriate strategies and activities for programming.

Programming Outcomes Worksheet

Measuring and evaluating your program is key to sustained success. This worksheet offers a helpful step-by-step guide to establishing an actionable measurement approach.

Observations Form

You will want to draw from a variety of data sources to measure what is working well and what might need more attention. This observation form can help you collect data from a variety of perspectives to help inform program effectiveness.

Budget Expenses Form

Depending on the type of program you create, funding needs can vary significantly. This helpful budgeting form will help you visualize the total funds you will need to successfully execute your program.

Funding for Programs

Funding can be an important factor in helping to sustain or expand current programming to create new ones. This guide provides tips for standing out in a grant application and a list of possible sources of funding.

Components of a Grant Proposal

Many schools combine public funding with additional grant funds to support programming. This document was created to aid educators across roles in writing successful proposals.

Professional Development Planning

Professional development is crucial to program sustainability. This template will help you design professional development activities to support program implementation.

Case Studies

Every Day Should be Career Day

The bell sounded, signaling the start of another class period. I hear the girls behind me talking, purchasing an Air Heads candy from a classmate who secretly sold them. My favorite was the white Air Heads, and I was a loyal customer; savoring its sweet flavor was my only saving grace during math class. The

Read More… from Every Day Should be Career Day

Navigating a Critical New Frontier in K-12 Career Readiness: Middle School Work-based Learning

When you think of “work-based learning” — that is, hands-on career education experiences like internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing — what age group comes to mind? Odds are, you’re thinking about college or perhaps even high school. But as research conducted by American Student Assistance shows, middle school is the prime time to begin engaging

Read More… from Navigating a Critical New Frontier in K-12 Career Readiness: Middle School Work-based Learning

Team Passion Project – The Importance of Offering Student Choice in the Middle Grades

Save the bees. That was the aim of Team Passion Project, the winners of the second annual Solve Together Challenge, a national competition designed to encourage career exploration and skill-building for middle school students. The team, comprised of seventh grader from Franklin Avenue Middle School, could either select from a list of real-world problems or

Read More… from Team Passion Project – The Importance of Offering Student Choice in the Middle Grades

ASA’s Middle School Exploration Program

Free digital ten-lesson curriculum in which students can discover their skills and interests, learn about career clusters, and explore different educational options. Students will leave this program with a better understanding of how to approach decisions regarding their future plans, their skill development, and their career preferences.

Exploring Self

Unit 1 (Lessons 1-4):  Through a range of individual and group-based activities, students will explore their own skills, interests, values, and learning styles in relation to others’. By the end of the unit, each student will be able to confidently summarize their own strengths, passions, and attributes.

Understanding Options: Career Exploration

Unit 2 (Lessons 5-7):  Now that students understand themselves, they will begin to envision their futures and learn about careers that align with their goals. Games, sorting activities, and presentations fuel the exploration process, helping students gain a clearer picture of the man professional possibilities available to them.

Informing Future Decisions: Education Pathways

Unit 3 (Lessons 8-10):  Does every career require a college degree? Students will look at all the post-secondary options available –including college—and discover how to prepare for next steps after high school. Every student will leave understanding their strengths, programs that fit their goals, and growth areas to pursue.

Research in Support of Career Exploration in the Middle Grades

ACTE & Career Cruising, 2018.  Career Exploration in Middle School: Setting Students on the Path to Success.

An evidence-based overview of why career exploration is important in the middle grades as well as some of the strategies that can be used with this age group.  Includes enumerated recommendations for practitioners.

ACTE & Xello, 2020.  Starting Early: Career Development in the Early Grades.

A brief report outlining the value and benefits associated with career exploration & career development in the elementary and middle grades.  Includes case studies and recommendations for getting started.

Grant, Springer, Tuttle, & Reno, 2021.  Small-Group Counseling Intervention to Support Career Exploration of Rural Middle School Students.

A paper proposing a small-group counseling-based intervention to assist students from rural areas in their career exploration and identity development.

Ginevra & Nota, 2017.  ‘Journey in the World of Professions and Work’: A Career Intervention for Children.

An article describing a 10-unit course intended to boost students’ career adaptability.  Compared to non-participants, participating students (10-11 years old) demonstrated significantly more hope, optimism, curiosity, exploration, occupational knowledge, information, planning, and time perspective.

Godbey & Gordon, 2019. Career Exploration at the Middle School Level: Barriers and Opportunities.

An essay describing the importance of career exploration at the middle level, the opportunities for policy and practice, and the barriers to advisement and engagement.  Includes recommendations for school leaders and practitioners.

Mupinga & Caniglia, 2019. What Middle School Students Know About Careers and the Influences Surrounding Their Choices.

An article outlining ways to support middle school students’ career knowledge and their ability to make informed decisions about their future.  Includes resources for teachers in the middle grades.

Glessner, Rockinson-Szapkiw, & Lopez, 2017. “Yes, I Can”: Testing an Intervention to Increase Middle School Students’ College and Career Self-Efficacy.

An article examining the impact of a hybrid (virtual & in-person) intervention in Florida on students’ career and college self-efficacy.  Results suggest that participating students exhibited higher self-efficacy beliefs.

Grigal, Cooney, & Hart, 2019. Promoting College and Career Readiness With Middle School Youth With Disabilities: Lessons Learned From a Curriculum Development Project.

A study of a College & Career Readiness [CCR] program for middle schoolers, with and without disabilities.  Includes online resources arranged by topic as well as considerations for universal design, technology access, and the need for developmentally appropriate content.

Perna, 2019. Why Career Exploration Must Be a K-12 Priority and One Way to Make It Happen.

An opinion piece suggesting that career exploration must be holistically integrated into schooling throughout the curriculum and throughout the K-12 spectrum.  Includes a link to the author’s Career Tree framework.

Center for American Progress, 2020. Creating Strong Building Blocks for Every Student: How Middle Schools Can Lay the Foundation for Rigorous High School Pathways.

A long-form article outlining the challenges and inequities associated with access to CTE and high school pathways.  The authors discuss the added barriers introduced by COVID-19, the promise of Perkins V, and the opportunities for middle school programming.  Includes a nationwide policy landscape analysis and “5 Key Components” of successful middle school pathways.

Hanover Research, 2020. Best Practices in Middle School Career and Technical Education Expansion.

A report outlining best practices in implementing CTE in middle school.  Includes 3 case studies, a framework with target outcomes, equity considerations, and major challenges & barriers (esp. related to rural settings and technology access).

Advance CTE, 2019. Putting Afterschool to Work: Career Exploration in Out-of-School Settings.

An article outlining the promises of after-school career exploration programming.  Includes a case study and policy considerations.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

A webpage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with resources for career exploration, games, Q&A, and resources for students and teachers in the K-12 arena.

Middle School Career Research Project PowerPoint

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7 Reasons You Should Use STEM Research Projects in Your Middle School Classroom

• February 26, 2023
• Computer Science , Engineering , Robotics , Science , STEM
• Career Exploration , Engaging Lessons , Interdisciplinary , Real World Connections

Incorporating STEM research projects into the middle school classroom can open up a world of opportunities for students to explore their creative sides and learn practical skills. Learn more about how these projects can benefit your students and discover some ideas here.

Short on time? Grab a ready-to-go STEM research project !

1. Explore student-generated questions and topics of interest in STEM

One of the challenges and exciting parts of being a STEM teacher is not always having all the answers. My students often ask me questions about STEM topics that I am not an expert on. Rather than avoiding the questions or leaving it at “I don’t know,” let’s encourage our students to research the answers! R esearch project s that center around a student’s own interests increase engagement and curiosity. Giving them control of their own learning helps make the process meaningful for them, encourages active participation, and helps develop the habits of a life-long learner.

2. Introduce real-world STEM careers

A great way to use STEM research projects in middle school classrooms is to connect them with real-world career paths. For example, when students research the safety of autonomous cars , they will also be learning about mechanical engineers, computer scientists, and robotics engineers. In doing so, students make meaningful connections to the STEM career paths available after high school. Through these projects, students become familiar with roles within particular industries which could lead them to consider these careers for their future.

3. Build background knowledge with STEM research projects

STEM research projects enable middle schoolers to learn more about important topics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Through their research explorations, students gain valuable knowledge about a particular topic that you can then continue to build on throughout your STEM course. Using your students’ research to supplement future lessons and class discussions supports a deeper understanding of the concepts that students are learning. For example, at the beginning of my computer science course, my students research why K-12 students are being taught to code . Then we connect back to their discoveries about the applications of computer science and the importance of learning to code throughout the course.

4. Develop 21st century STEM skills

Critical thinking and communication are two important 21st-century skills taught in STEM class . Research projects can play a significant role in developing these abilities. Through the research process, students are practicing scientific reading and writing. Designing research projects with Interesting prompts, engaging text, annotation guides, and graphic organizers support students with critical thinking, reading, and writing.

5. Teach about emerging technologies and their applications

STEM fields are constantly evolving as new discoveries are made and new inventions are created. This makes STEM an inherently interesting and engaging field. Our middle school students want to know about the newest technology and how to use it. Research projects give them a chance to explore these interests and make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and the real world.

6. Assign a cross-curricular ELA and STEM research project

Cross-curricular STEM and ELA research projects can be an effective way for students to integrate their skills and concepts. These projects can involve students in conducting research on a STEM topic and then writing about their findings in an essay. By combining science and ELA, students can develop their skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing. For example, students could research the impacts of robots on our society and then write an essay about whether robots will have a positive or negative impact on our future. This type of project not only promotes a deeper understanding of science and language concepts but also allows students to apply their knowledge in a real-world context.

7. Use STEM research projects for low-prep sub plans

Another great benefit to STEM research projects is their low-prep nature. If a teacher ever needs an emergency sub plan, instructions for a research project can be stored easily and pulled out when the need arises. Students can work independently or in small groups on projects that challenge them to think critically, apply knowledge and use critical thinking skills – all hands-off for the teacher!

Looking for a ready-to-go STEM research project?

For all the reasons listed above, I include STEM research projects in all of my semester and year-long STEM courses. My students love getting the opportunity to explore their interests, learn about new technologies, and engage in debate surrounding real-world topics. You can grab one of these low-prep, teacher-tested, and middle schooler-approved projects today!

Each project includes:

• Detailed teacher notes for easy facilitation
• Student assignment pages with video guides, annotation keys, and graphic organizers
• Printable PDF, Google, and Easel versions of the student assignemnt
• Embedded links to high-quality background research video clips and articles
• Easy-to-use grading rubrics and answer keys
• Suggestions for differentiation

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Research Project Lead for Studies of Postsecondary and Labor Market Outcomes

How to apply.

To apply for this position, please upload [1] a cover letter, [2] your CV, [3] one or more writing samples demonstrating your research skills (e.g., job market paper, dissertation chapter, recent publication that you sole authored or for which you are first author), [4] evidence of significant experience preparing data for analysis using Stata (e.g.,two or more substantial samples of individually written, carefully commented code that demonstrate your skills with cleaning, coding, organizing, merging, and otherwise preparing data for analysis), and [5] contact information for at least three individuals who are willing and able to serve as references for you. The cover letter should address in detail your fit for the position and the ways in which you meet the required and desirable qualifications for the position, listed below, as well as your professional commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity. If the writing sample is a co-authored paper, include in your cover letter a detailed explanation of your particular role in the work. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications received by April 28, 2024, will receive full consideration.

The Research Project Lead takes substantial responsibility for the day-to-day organization and execution of one or more assigned research projects addressing postsecondary students' educational and labor market outcomes, and policies and practices that influence student success and labor market outcomes. The Research Project Lead also collaborates in and provides support to other original research projects and funding proposals led by other team members. The position is part of a research team under the direction of Peter Riley Bahr, Associate Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, who will determine the scope of work. This is a one-year position with the likelihood of renewal depending on funding. The position may be filled as full-time or part-time, and requests for a flexible schedule will be considered.

Responsibilities*

We are seeking skilled individuals who can take initiative and bring creativity in using administrative data to answer research questions and produce actionable findings for colleges, systems, and states.

A person taking on the role of Research Project Lead is responsible for the following:

• Interpret the objectives and research questions of assigned projects
• Make methodologically sound, defensible decisions about data cleaning, defining key terms conceptually and operationalizing them as variables, specifying an appropriate sample and unit of analysis, adjudicating between and selecting analytic approaches based on relevant literature, and sharing results in an accessible format
• Clean, code, organize, merge, and otherwise prepare and manage complex longitudinal data sets for analysis using Stata
• Perform data quality assurance checks and identify potential problems with data and the sources of the problems
• Write carefully commented and well-organized Stata syntax
• Design and refine methodologies to meet project objectives and answer project research questions
• Conduct advanced statistical analyses
• Prepare data tables, figures, and other visualizations to present research findings for internal team review and external dissemination
• Thoroughly document methodological and operational decisions of data preparation and analysis
• Prepare data codebooks
• Conduct literature reviews
• Write manuscripts, reports, briefs, and funding proposals
• Prepare and deliver presentations
• Collaborate in research activities with other team members
• Participate in and contribute to team meetings
• Guide the work of graduate student research team members, assign tasks, set timelines, ascertain the quality and completeness of work products, and ensure that deadlines are met
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications*

• M.A. (Ph.D. preferred) in Higher Education, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, or a related field
• Extensive experience with advanced quantitative research methods
• Extensive experience preparing complex longitudinal datasets for analysis, including cleaning, coding, organizing, merging, and managing data using Stata
• Extensive experience analyzing data and displaying results in tabular and graphical form using Stata
• Experience writing manuscripts for peer-reviewed scholarly journals
• Experience translating research findings for presentation to scholarly audiences, such as at research conferences
• Extensive, in-depth knowledge of one or more areas of higher education research
• Familiarity with contemporary research and policy discourse on community colleges and other open-access postsecondary institutions
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to work well with others, including both receiving direction and providing direction
• Demonstrated ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail
• Experience with project planning and leadership
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desired Qualifications*

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, Public Policy, Sociology, Economics, or a related field
• Experience working with administrative course-level, student-level, and institution-level education data
• Experience writing research grant proposals
• Experience writing research reports or research briefs for policymakers and/or practitioners
• Experience translating research findings for presentation to policymakers and/or practitioners
• Experience working in state or national higher education organizations

Additional Information

The School of Education is located at 610 E. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a 100% remote position, but an on-campus office is available if preferred. The position may be filled as full-time or part-time, and requests for a flexible schedule will be considered. 

Statement on Diversity:

We respect and value individuals from all races, ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, economic or veteran status, and other diverse perspectives and individual differences. Further, we are committed to tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect everywhere within our community and we affirm our promise to make the School of Education a welcoming place for all.  In seeking new staff members, we are committed to hiring those who share in our reverence and expectation for diversity.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.