Beyond Blackboards: Engaging Underserved Middle School Students in Engineering

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research

Judy, Justina¹  Wood, Kristin L.²  Petrosino, Anthony J³  Muller, Chandra³  Crawford, Richard H.³  Lin, Fu-An³  Blanchard, Sarah³  White, Christina K.³ 

[1] Michigan State University;Singapore University of Technology and Design;University of Texas at Austin

关键词: underrepresented minorities;    robotics;    after-school activities;    Gr;    Challenges;    design-based research;    mixed-methods;   

DOI  :  10.7771/2157-9288.1084

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: Purdue University

【 摘 要 】

Beyond Blackboards is an inquiry-centered, after-school program designed to enhance middle school students’ engagement with engineering through design-based experiences focused on the 21st Century Engineering Challenges. Set within a predominantly lowincome, majority-minority community, our study aims to investigate the impact of Beyond Blackboards on students’ interest in and understanding of engineering, as well as their ability to align their educational and career plans. We compare participants’ and nonparticipants’ questionnaire responses before the implementation and at the end of the program’s first academic year. Statistically significant findings indicate a school-wide increase in students’ interest in engineering careers, supporting a shift in school culture. However, only program participants showed increased enjoyment of design-based strategies, understanding of what engineers do, and awareness of the steps for preparing for an engineering career. These quantitative findings are supported by qualitative evidence from participant focus groups highlighting the importance of mentors in shaping students’ awareness of opportunities within engineering.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND