Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in an Engineering Summer Intervention Program (Research)

Tonisha B. Lane; Jonathan Elliot Gaines; Selene Willis; Salam Ahmad; Kali Lynn Morgan; Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: Minorities in Engineering Division Technical Session 6
Tagged Division: Minorities in Engineering
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32573
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/32573
Download Count: 386

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Paper Authors

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Tonisha B. Lane University of South Florida

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Dr. Lane’s research agenda broadly examines diversity, equity, and inclusion in postsecondary education with the objective of advancing inclusive and transformative policies and practices. Her primary research strand investigates the experiences and outcomes of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Using qualitative methodologies, she has explored access and success for underserved students of color in STEM and STEM intervention programs. This line of research also seeks to understand the nuances and complexities of participation and persistence in these fields and develop new models for explaining such phenomena. Her secondary research strand focuses on the participation and achievement of Black students and professionals in higher education. She is the PI or co-PI on several grant-funded research projects including the national Black Doctoral Women Study (BDWS), the Women in Engineering Study (WIES), and Bulls-Engineering Youth Experience for Promoting Relationships, Identity Development, & Empowerment (Bulls-EYE PRIDE).

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Jonathan Elliot Gaines University of South Florida

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Jonathan E. Gaines is faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of South Florida. He is the Director of First Year Experiential Education and Learning. Through this position, he develops and implements the curriculum for USF's Foundations of Engineering Lab course. He is also the Principle Investigator for Bulls Engineering Youth Experience (Bulls-EYE Mentoring) a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math based outreach program that uses undergraduate students to mentor middle school youth.

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Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanović is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the department of Teaching and Learning. Eugenia is mathematically bi-literate (English and Greek) and has taught mathematics at the middle school, high school, and college level. She currently teaches mathematics education courses to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students. Her research explores Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teacher Education (CRMTE), which she defines as teacher education that: a) is responsive to the needs and capitalizes on the funds of knowledge of culturally diverse mathematics (pre-service and in-service) teachers, and b) seeks to prepare culturally responsive mathematics teachers who will advance the education of students whose linguistic and cultural backgrounds have not traditionally been recognized as resources for mathematics learning.

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Abstract

This Research paper presents the assessment of a six-week summer mentoring program at a large research university located in a predominantly Black and Hispanic community in the southeastern part of the United States. The program considers theory on culturally responsive pedagogy and explores the nexus between the engineering design process and literature on mentoring and summer intervention programs . Data is analyzed from the first year of a three-year longitudinal study which draws participants from three populations simultaneously: 1. Underrepresented minority middle school youth that participate as rising 7th or 8th graders (URM Mentees), 2. Engineering undergraduate students in the early years of their matriculation (Engineering Mentors), and 3. Experienced pre-service teachers or early in-service teachers (novice math and science teachers, (NMST) Mentors). During the first week, the program administers a 16-hour training on culturally responsive teaching to a cohort of 5 NMST Mentors and 15 Engineering Mentors, serving as design team leads and role models. Each of the 20 mentors is matched up with 2-3 URM Mentees for the remaining 5 weeks of the program. As a design team, participants are asked to solve ill-formed problems together. The program devotes equal time to life skill activities and technical skill activities with the goal of promoting strong relationships between all participants that facilitate identity development. After the intervention, participants are engaged through follow-up activities that allow for transformational relationships to persist after the program.

The program advances literature on culturally responsive teaching and learning particularly involving URMs with limited exposure to engineering. In addition, the design process itself is also developed based on literature around cultural responsiveness, relying on a shared narrative between design projects, scaffolding, and analogy to relevant life skills that translate outside of the engineering context. Three research questions are assessed, focusing on the critical components of the program including culturally responsive pedagogy, mentoring culturally diverse students in intervention programs, and translation of lessons learned after the program is completed.

The first year of the three-year project is completed and data from the first summer program has been collected. Data includes focus groups involving each target population and pre- and post- surveys administered before and after the intervention.. The paper will also share the impact of the program advisory board and its impact on the program strategy and training program. A preliminary analysis of the results shows that NMSTs and Engineering mentors benefitted substantially from the culturally responsive training. They cultivated meaningful relationships and learned a number of strategies to build connections with their mentees. The participants also reported the significance of culturally responsive elements that undergirded the teaching and application of the engineering design process. This finding has implications for how the engineering design process can be taught in ways that engage students both academically and culturally. The paper will present the full program structure, training program, and first year results. In addition, the authors will present opportunities for improvement and lessons learned to advance the literature on cultural responsiveness and engineering identity.

Citation
Format

Lane, T. B., & Gaines, J. E., & Willis, S., & Ahmad, S., & Morgan, K. L., & Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, E. (2019, June), Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in an Engineering Summer Intervention Program (Research) Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32573

TY - CPAPER
AB - This Research paper presents the assessment of a six-week summer mentoring program at a large research university located in a predominantly Black and Hispanic community in the southeastern part of the United States. The program considers theory on culturally responsive pedagogy and explores the nexus between the engineering design process and literature on mentoring and summer intervention programs . Data is analyzed from the first year of a three-year longitudinal study which draws participants from three populations simultaneously: 1. Underrepresented minority middle school youth that participate as rising 7th or 8th graders (URM Mentees), 2. Engineering undergraduate students in the early years of their matriculation (Engineering Mentors), and 3. Experienced pre-service teachers or early in-service teachers (novice math and science teachers, (NMST) Mentors). During the first week, the program administers a 16-hour training on culturally responsive teaching to a cohort of 5 NMST Mentors and 15 Engineering Mentors, serving as design team leads and role models. Each of the 20 mentors is matched up with 2-3 URM Mentees for the remaining 5 weeks of the program. As a design team, participants are asked to solve ill-formed problems together. The program devotes equal time to life skill activities and technical skill activities with the goal of promoting strong relationships between all participants that facilitate identity development. After the intervention, participants are engaged through follow-up activities that allow for transformational relationships to persist after the program.

The program advances literature on culturally responsive teaching and learning particularly involving URMs with limited exposure to engineering. In addition, the design process itself is also developed based on literature around cultural responsiveness, relying on a shared narrative between design projects, scaffolding, and analogy to relevant life skills that translate outside of the engineering context. Three research questions are assessed, focusing on the critical components of the program including culturally responsive pedagogy, mentoring culturally diverse students in intervention programs, and translation of lessons learned after the program is completed.

The first year of the three-year project is completed and data from the first summer program has been collected. Data includes focus groups involving each target population and pre- and post- surveys administered before and after the intervention.. The paper will also share the impact of the program advisory board and its impact on the program strategy and training program. A preliminary analysis of the results shows that NMSTs and Engineering mentors benefitted substantially from the culturally responsive training. They cultivated meaningful relationships and learned a number of strategies to build connections with their mentees. The participants also reported the significance of culturally responsive elements that undergirded the teaching and application of the engineering design process. This finding has implications for how the engineering design process can be taught in ways that engage students both academically and culturally. The paper will present the full program structure, training program, and first year results. In addition, the authors will present opportunities for improvement and lessons learned to advance the literature on cultural responsiveness and engineering identity.

AU - Tonisha B. Lane
AU - Jonathan Elliot Gaines
AU - Selene Willis
AU - Salam Ahmad
AU - Kali Lynn Morgan
AU - Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic
CY - Tampa, Florida
DA - 2019/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in an Engineering Summer Intervention Program (Research)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/32573
DO - 10.18260/1-2--32573
ER -