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The Effects Of Engineering Summer Camps On Middle And High School Students’ Engineering Interest And Identity Formation: A Multi-Methods Study, Timothy Robinson, Adam Kirn, Jenny Amos, Indira Chatterjee Nov 2023

The Effects Of Engineering Summer Camps On Middle And High School Students’ Engineering Interest And Identity Formation: A Multi-Methods Study, Timothy Robinson, Adam Kirn, Jenny Amos, Indira Chatterjee

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This multi-methods study explores changes in engineering interest and identity of middle and high school students (n = 79) attending introductory-level engineering summer camps at a large western land grant university. Middle school is a critical time when student interest, identity, and subsequently career choice begin to emerge and hence it is important that at this age students are given accurate information about engineering majors in college and future career opportunities in engineering. Data were collected over a period of two years in six summer camps. Three separate populations of middle and high school students participated in the summer …


The Impact Of Girl Scout Engineering Experiences On The Identity Development Of Middle Schoolers, Abigail M. Clark, Rachel Kajfez Jan 2023

The Impact Of Girl Scout Engineering Experiences On The Identity Development Of Middle Schoolers, Abigail M. Clark, Rachel Kajfez

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Despite years of recruitment efforts, women remain significantly underrepresented throughout engineering. While research into precollege engineering education has expanded, it has primarily focused on formal learning settings, even though students spend significantly more time outside of the classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, including the time spent outside of the classroom in informal environments. Specifically, programs had to evolve to provide online content and at-home activities. Some programs even shut down completely. Within this context, our study sought to understand the impact of one informal engineering learning experience, a Girl Scout engineering badge, which also shifted online due to the …


A Model For Equity-Oriented Prek-12 Engineering, Christine M. Cunningham, Gregory J. Kelly Dec 2022

A Model For Equity-Oriented Prek-12 Engineering, Christine M. Cunningham, Gregory J. Kelly

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In this paper, we address the societally important issue of developing a more equitable approach to preK-12 engineering education. Our primary emphasis is on K-8 grades—a time when first impressions of engineering may be developed. Calls for increased participation by all students, including those who have been historically marginalized, motivate the need for theoretically grounded ways of developing and assessing educational programs. This paper draws from sociocultural learning theory and applies four theoretical and empirical analyses to derive design principles for equity that can inform curriculum, instruction, and assessment of preK-12 engineering education programs. We present a model for equity-oriented …


Children’S Engineering Identity Development Within An At-Home Engineering Program During Covid-19, Amber Simpson, Peter N. Knox Dec 2022

Children’S Engineering Identity Development Within An At-Home Engineering Program During Covid-19, Amber Simpson, Peter N. Knox

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The culture of engineering and the culture of formal learning environments often make it difficult for individuals to develop an engineering identity. Conversely, recent research points to the home environment as an alternative setting to support disciplinespecific identity development of children, while less is known regarding the identity development of children as engineers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the development of children’s engineering identity through the co-creation of engineering concepts and engagement with engineering design thinking and processes with family members in home environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted interviews with nine families—nine parents and …


Enhancing Engineering Identity Among Boys Of Color, Jerrod Henderson, Virginia Snodgrass Rangel, James Holly Jr, Rick Greer, Mariam Manuel Sep 2021

Enhancing Engineering Identity Among Boys Of Color, Jerrod Henderson, Virginia Snodgrass Rangel, James Holly Jr, Rick Greer, Mariam Manuel

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Black and Brown men continue to be underrepresented in engineering. One explanation for the dearth of Black and Latino men in engineering is that engineering (and STEM) identity often is not inclusive of People of Color. As a result, Black and Brown boys may be less likely to become interested in STEM subjects. The purpose of this study, then, was to investigate how the components of one afterschool engineering program tap into engineering identity formation among fourth- and fifth-grade Black and Brown boys. Leveraging research on the STEM and engineering identity, we argue that the program and its key components …


Engineering Care: How Two Young Women Of Color Establish Positional Identities In A Robotics Space, Nyissia Charmaine Spruill, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Daniela Della Volpe, Keidy Alcantara Jun 2021

Engineering Care: How Two Young Women Of Color Establish Positional Identities In A Robotics Space, Nyissia Charmaine Spruill, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Daniela Della Volpe, Keidy Alcantara

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This paper examines video data of a high school robotics team to explore practices that empower youth from underrepresented groups in engineering to disrupt traditional boundaries around what engineering is and who is considered competent to participate in its practice. We analyze in-the-moment positioning work with a focus on care and maintenance practices to understand how two young Women of Color author and negotiate positional identities as part of disciplinary practices. We argue that they co-author programming positional identities by crafting a local relational space, or a comfort space, through resonating acts of care for each other’s development. A more …


The Importance Of Collaborative Design For Narrowing The Gender Gap In Engineering: An Analysis Of Engineering Identity Development In Elementary Students, Mandy Mclean, Jasmine M. Nation, Alexis Spina, Tyler Susko, Danielle Harlow, Julie Bianchini Sep 2020

The Importance Of Collaborative Design For Narrowing The Gender Gap In Engineering: An Analysis Of Engineering Identity Development In Elementary Students, Mandy Mclean, Jasmine M. Nation, Alexis Spina, Tyler Susko, Danielle Harlow, Julie Bianchini

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Research suggests that, to narrow the gender gap in engineering, we should focus on helping young girls identify with engineering both because gendered attitudes emerge around kindergarten and because identity is more predictive than performance on persistence in the field. This qualitative study sought to understand the impact of collaborative engineering design on the development of engineering identities in elementary-school students and compared the findings across gender. We focused on three tiers of collaboration embedded into the engineering design process: peer groups, role models, and shared goals. More specifically, the elementary students worked in small teams and partnered with undergraduate …