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Recent discussions of making have focused on developing out-of-school makerspaces and activities to provide more equitable and enriching learning opportunities for youth. Yet school classrooms present a unique opportunity to help broaden access, diversify representation, and deepen participation in making. In turning to classrooms, we want to understand the crucial practices that teachers employ in broadening and deepening access to making. In this article, we investigate two high school teachers’ approaches in implementing a novel eight-week, electronic textiles unit within the Exploring Computer Science curriculum, where students designed wearable electronic textile projects with microcontrollers, sensors, and LEDs.We share teachers’emergent practices in transforming their classrooms into makerspaces, including valuing student expertise and promoting connections in personalized work. We discuss the ways these practices succeeded in broadening access to making while deepening participation in computing and establishing home-school connections.
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Exploring Leveraging Points to Increase High School Students’ Identification with STEM: Differences Across Race/Ethnicities
This study intends to identify leverage points to increase Latinx high school students’ identification with STEM careers. We used multi-group structural equation modeling to analyze science identity survey data (N=1295) focusing on differences across race/ethnicity. Although Latinx students on average reported lower science activities participation and perception of science than their White and Asian American peers, the indirect effects from participation in science activities at home, school, and out-of-school consistently held for all racial/ethnic groups. Our findings suggest: (a) the importance of increasing Latinx students’ participation in science activities at home, science classrooms, and out-of-school programs, and (b) the need to strategically design the activities, including school science curricula, in ways that increase Latinx students’ self-perception in and with science.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1846227
- PAR ID:
- 10287049
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2021 AERA conference
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Recent discussions have focused on rich STEM learning opportunities and various equity challenges in setting up and researching out-of-school makerspaces and activities. In turning to school classrooms, we want to understand the critical practices that teachers employ in broadening and deepening access to making. In this paper, we investigate two high school teachers’ approaches in implementing the Exploring Computer Science curriculum using a novel 8-week, electronic textiles unit where students designed wearable textile projects with a microcontroller, sensors and LED lights. Drawing on observations and interviews with teachers and students, we share emergent practices that teachers used in transforming their classrooms into a makerspace, including modeling in-progress artifacts, valuing expertise from students, and promoting connections in personalized work. We discuss in which ways these teaching practices succeeded in broadening access to making while deepening participation in computing and establishing home-school connections.more » « less
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In response to the low representation of Latinx adults in STEM occupations, this community-based participatory action research study aims to increase the number of middle school youths developing STEM career identities and entering high school with the intention to pursue STEM careers. The students were provided with summer and after-school activities focusing on network science and career development curricula. Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design and career narratives, this study examined the changes in STEM and career self-efficacy, as well as career identity. The results show improvements in self-efficacy, an increased number of youths with intentions of pursuing future STEM career opportunities, and deeper reflections on their talents and skills after program participation. This paper also describes the program development and implementation in detail, as well as the adaptations that resulted from COVID-19, for scholars and educators designing similar programs. This study provides promising evidence for the quality of STEM and career development lessons in supporting the emergence of a STEM career identity and self-efficacy.more » « less
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