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A major driver in K-12 engineering education has been university-based outreach initiatives. In the U.S, there are an estimated 600,000 K-12 students participating in university-led engineering outreach annually (Iversen, 2014-2015). Reaching students as young as elementary school is important as students form their interest and impressions in engineering and other STEM disciplines early (Galton in Ormerod & Duckworth, 1975, p. 39; Maltese & Tai, 2010; Tai, Qiu,Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006) and those interests often decline in middle school (Murphy & Beggs, 2003; Neathery, 1997; Ormerod & Duckworth, 1975; Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003. University engineering students are often positioned as role models for the K-12 students they work with. However, to date, little research has been done on how students select role models and how to optimize the interactions between young students and university students to increase the likelihood that they will be taken as role models This paper will show preliminary data and analysis from an NSF-funded research project that is examining the dynamics between undergraduate university students providing outreach and elementary school student participants. The paper will focus on a case-study of a single 4th grade classroom and how different dynamics related to sharing personal information, engineering identity, and other interests interact with elementary school students identifying undergraduate engineering students as role models. Potential codes for larger qualitative studies will be shared as well as preliminary quantitative results from surveys instruments (EIDS, Draw an Engineer).
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Enhancing Epilepsy Awareness and Cooperative Care in Elementary and Middle Schools
Epilepsy, a prevalent chronic neurological disorder, presents numerous challenges for people with epilepsy (PWEs) and their caregivers. They experience difficulties in receiving proper care and support due to stigma and misconceptions. Promoting public awareness in early education would be critical to reduce the stigma and to properly support them. We conducted 145 surveys and 21 interviews with teachers, school nurses, and parents of elementary and middle school students. While the participants exhibited slightly positive attitudes towards PWEs, we identified obstacles that hinder learning about epilepsy and seizure first aid: inadequate education and limited information sharing among school stakeholders. Moreover, there is a pressing need for age-appropriate education that considers the students' ages and perceptual levels. Considering the current limitations and needs, we propose potential implications for future information and communication technologies (ICTs) designs, including knowledge-sharing systems and an educational game aimed at enhancing epilepsy awareness and fostering collaborative care in elementary and middle school environments.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2145049
- PAR ID:
- 10606123
- Publisher / Repository:
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- CSCW1
- ISSN:
- 2573-0142
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1-25
- Size(s):
- p. 1-25
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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