middle school level, literature shows that girlsare not actively being exposed to and participating in engineering contexts compared to their malecounterparts. Researchers have suggested collaborative learning might lead to increased interestand participation in STEM. Yet, the literature points to the need for understanding how minoritizedstudents interact with and experience collaborative group work settings. This study aims to explorehow middle school girls in STEM engage with their peers during microelectronics group activitiesand how these interactions influence their learning experiences and collaborative skills throughthe research question: What are the discourse patterns present in girl-only groups during a pre-college microelectronics
infrastructure projects; primarily those in support of educational content delivery and K-12 education. The past twenty-one summers Professor Winzer has conducted a STEM outreach effort titled ’Adventures in Robotics’ which has had over 1,000 local K-12 participants. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Introduction to Scratch Programming and Motor Control with LEGO Spike Prime Revision Date:4/29/2025Lesson Length: _30-45______min Audience:__4th – 7th Grade_Description: Students will learn the fundamentals of programming using Scratch with the LEGO Spike Primekit. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to write a program to control
) Author and Affiliation: Anonymized for ReviewAbstractThe BSEE curriculum integrates biology (science), Excel skills (technology), data analysis(mathematics), and problem-solving (engineering) within a 9th-grade integrated STEMframework. We implemented the curriculum in a high school elective course, Introduction toComputer Science. Students analyzed local deer mortality data and applied Excel functions toidentify trends. They created data visualizations to address real-world challenges. Such aninterdisciplinary approach connects STEM fields and bridges the gap between scientificknowledge, technological tools, and practical problem-solving skills. We evaluated the BSEEcurriculum using teachers’ self-assessments and peer evaluations. The
successful. They may really struggle in reading or writing, and for this to happen, for them to be able to participate in this kind of an experience. This might be an area where they’re really successful, and it’s such a confidence boost. I also think it’s important for kids to see, you know, they pick up on things. They know, they understand that sometimes students are struggling, so being able for them to see like the value from their peers that they have really good ideas to share. You know, because they do, and it’s just it’s not necessarily always the way that we’re able to show that to others”Molly highlights the ways that DT differs from other talks. For the students, the novelty ofengineering, engaging in
---these kits are great for that. There often is a disconnect to science in such kits, but these resources allowed me to make the connection to science. “That is what made it allowable for me to use it as science.”Third, parents adapted the kits to meet the learning needs and abilities of their children. We adapted the kit to focus on writing with my daughter. Writing sentences out of context is not of interest to my daughter. We made sure to write things out. I allowed my daughter to make the thing her own. There were no rules. It was open-ended. This would not have worked with my other child who wants more step-by-step instructions and being compliant.DiscussionSTEM kits grounded in the engineering design process may be an avenue
of Practice (CoP) that connects them with peers, e4usa teammembers, university faculty, and practicing engineers throughout the year. CoP sessions are heldvirtually bi-weekly in two different formats. Once with the coaches in a small peer group andanother time with the entire cohort. These sessions encourage teachers to share classroomexperiences, exchange lesson plans, and engage in discussions. e4usa team also providesongoing support through a learning management platform addressing curriculum-relatedquestions and facilitating collaboration and professional growth within the teaching community.PersonasTo achieve its goals, e4usa has treated the curriculum design process as a Learning Engineering(LE) [8] design challenge. The team has, at
the challengesof engaging students without the presence of teachers and peers to encourage, motivate, andsupport them [5]. While there is little research on effective pedagogies for engaging students inonline labs, a recent study suggests that providing support for students before and during thehands-on projects, clear instructions about the experiment and set-up, and pre-structuring of labactivities, lead to successful student engagement with the activity [6]. Moreover, an importantgoal of Discover UC San Diego is to build confidence and self-efficacy, especially infirst-generation high school students, for college success. As defined by [7], “self-efficacy refersto an individual’s subjective conviction in his or her capabilities to perform
, including classroom settings,educator perceptions, and peer interactions [5]. Particularly relevant to this study and thedevelopment of STEM identity, Carlone and Johnson developed a model of science identitybased on the experiences of undergraduate female students of color [3]. Focusing on 15 womenof varying racial and ethnic identities at a small university, Carlone & Johnson conductedinterviews with participants about their experiences in science spaces, leaning heavily on therecognition component of science identity. As a result, Carlone and Johnson indicated threecomponents of internalized science identity: performance, recognition, and competence.Competence involves demonstrating skill and ability, performance pertains to speaking
agency and creativity during the transition process.Our Solution: PatchWe present Patch1 , a free and open-source online coding environment built to help novice learnersbridge the gap between Scratch and Python. Figure 1 shows Patch’s editor. Built on the ScratchVM [17], Patch integrates Pyodide [18], a library that enables web-based Python execution, toallow learners to write Python code that directly interacts with the Scratch game engine. Patch isbuilt to mirror many of the successful aspects of Scratch’s programming environment that aren’tseen in a traditional text-based programming environment. We describe below how Patchaddresses the key transition challenges: Figure 1. The editor of the Patch coding
shared belief in agroup’s ability to succeed [21]. It is important for teacher educators to understand howinteractions with students and peers can influence elementary PSTs’ teaching self-efficacy. PSTscan interact with K-6 students during traditional field placements and also in non-traditionalsettings like afterschool clubs where they are likely to find highly motivated students.Afterschool programs can also afford PSTs the opportunity to collaborate with peers in teamsunder the close supervision of their instructors. Teaching a small number of highly engagedstudents in a low-stress, collaborative, and supportive environment can result in masteryexperiences that strengthen their self-efficacy [22-23]. This study explores how PSTs’ self
purpose of engaging in this custom is for students to honortheir heritage and strengthen their connection to the African diaspora. The word “Ase” was also used toaffirm and praise students for correct answers to questions. Familial African terms were used, withinstructors addressed as “Mama” or “Baba” and peers referred to as “brother” or “sister”, reflecting theAfrican cultural values of communal respect and familial bonds (Wilson et al., 1995). Swahili phrases like“Asante sana” (thank you) and “Karibu” (you’re welcome) further immersed students in African languageand culture. The day ended with a communal closing exercise called, “Community”, a reflective practicerooted in African traditions of communal discussion, where all perspectives are
include Sustainable Energy, Green Manufacturing, Quality Control, and Multi Objective Decision Making and Optimization as well as Engineering EducaMohammad Motaher Hossain, Texas A&M University - Kingsville Mohammad Motaher Hossain is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. His research mainly focuses on structure-property relationship in polymers, surface engineering, polymer tribology, contact mechanics, and fracture and failure analysis of polymeric materials. He received his Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. Dr. Hossain is a frequent peer reviewer for a number of journals and served as a
beliefs that children must be fully proficient in Englishbefore they can participate in intellectually challenging STEM activities and learning. As aresult, students classified as emergent bilinguals are often placed in tracks with low-level contentand low expectations [2], [3], [4], [5]. This leads to fewer opportunities to participate in math,science, or engineering lessons, thus exacerbating the inequities between multilingual studentsand their monolingual English peers [6], [7]. This deficit mindset is detrimental to the learningopportunities of these students. In contrast, asset-based pedagogies (such as translanguaging) formultilingual students are engaging, effective, and often benefit every student in a classroom.In seeking to introduce
career [11]. Research indicates that school-day opportunities for algebraremediation had a detrimental impact on higher-ability peers who would otherwise be advancingonto new skills [12]. Moreover, budding literature on the effectiveness of online programs pre-pandemic [13] indicated an innovative avenue for research and program development. Thus, theoriginal conceptualization of BOAST in 2019 was as an asynchronous, fully online afterschoolprogram. Instead of more math, the program developers aimed for contextualized math through analgebra-for-engineering, problem-based model. Culturally relevant teaching [14] is demonstratedto impact STEM self-efficacy, STEM identity, and STEM career aspirations [13], [15]. Applyingmath skills to
support autistic students in K-12 education, higher education, and employment. Theauthors stress the need for ongoing efforts to prepare educators, employers, and peers to betterunderstand and support autistic individuals. As a result, this requires developing new pathways toengineering education and opportunities that address both their potential and their specific needs (Ehsanet al., 2019; Kouo et al., 2021). Additionally, the focus of many research articles related to broadening participation for autisticstudents in engineering is often within an article that explores STEM more broadly (Ehsan, 2018;Nachman et al, 2024; Wei et al, 2017) or more broadly addresses students with disabilities (Bellman et al,2018; McCall et al, 2020; Moon
necessitatemultimodal communication such as writing, drawing, and gesturing, and “displaying informationmultimodally supports [MLs’] receptive language” (p. 267). Studies have also proposed effectiveways of teaching engineering to MLs. For example, Lee et al. [6] proposed that MLs benefitfrom engaging with multiple modalities (e.g., visuals, diagrams, and linguistic models). Garlickand Wilson-Lopez [7] recommended using contextualized, relevant, and culturally responsiveengineering challenges.Building on these insights, the present study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring oneteacher’s experience as a teacher of MLs within the context of culturally relevant engineeringeducation in her classroom. The purpose of this study was to understand how
problems, they may write the problems in such a way that either the description ofthe problems is narrowly specific, or the constraints of the problems are overly restrictive.Engineering education researchers view engineering problems as ill-defined [30], and the abilityto gather information to make sense of the problems is a key engineering practice [5]. Therefore,narrow and restrictive problems may lead to straightforward solutions; thus, students employdesign fixation due to restrictions on given problems that discourage creativity and multiplepossibilities. Research in engineering education is needed to better understand the relationshipbetween features of engineering design challenges and students employing design fixation.Research has shown
writing. It was up to the PST to get her attention and begin the discussion. Discussionsranged from 5 to 9 minutes (M = 7) in duration. Zoom sessions were video recorded and we usedthe auto-transcription service from Zoom to create transcripts, which we then reviewed andcorrected, as needed. Videos and transcripts were not used for research purposes until aftergrades were submitted at the end of each semester, as per the consent process approved by theIRB and given that the instructor was also one of the two researchers of record.Data AnalysisWe used conversational analysis of the 18 discussion transcripts [25], coding each PST turn inthe discussions. By turn, we mean the utterance (i.e., uninterrupted talk) by the PST that ispreceded and/or
related foci. Encouragingly, PSTs came to recognize sustainability in terms ofenvironmental stewardship and social responsibility, consistent with the EOP framework (TheLemelson Foundation, 2022) and as emphasized in the stories. When writing the stories, wehighlighted what motivates sustainable engineers to carry out their work (Gottschall, 2012; Raoet al., 2020). PSTs also formed more detailed understandings of sustainability (Gannon et al.,2022), gained related self-efficacy (Menon et al., 2024), and planned to use stories in their ownfuture classrooms. The stories supported PSTs’ disciplinary literacy (Silvestri et al., 2021).Our work thus far indicates promising areas for further exploration and scaling up. As wecontinue to implement the
and digital engineering notebooks play vital roles in pre-collegeengineering education by enabling students to document their design processes and reflect ontheir progress. Physical notebooks have long been favored for their simplicity and ability tosupport cognitive engagement through writing and sketching, which research shows enhancesmemory retention and understanding [4]. They are also accessible and affordable, making them apractical option in schools with limited digital resources. Despite advancements in digitaltechnology, many students and professionals still opt for the physical notebook format due to itsease of access and use without having to deal with the complexities of accessing expensiveequipment (hardware and software) and
Paper ID #48943BOARD # 213: Perspectives of Junior Scholars: Calculus Learning Outcomesfrom Middle School Students After Use of an Educational Video Game (Workin Progress)Alex Gonce, Texas A&M University Alex Gonce is an undergraduate researcher at the LIVE Lab at Texas A&M University, where they study Computer Engineering with a minor in Neuroscience. They have worked at the lab for over a year, leading a research team and collaborating on multiple projects focused on gamification in education. In addition to their research, they serve as a Peer Teacher for the College of Engineering, where they support instruction
tools, machining, circuits/breadboards/soldering,microcontrollers, and instrumentation (i.e., thermocouples, pressure transducers). Andprofessional skills or project experience with: report writing, oral presentations, statisticalanalysis of data, problem identification/problem formulation, creative ideation of designalternatives, project management tools (i.e., Gantt chart, Kanban board), research literaturereview, conflict resolution, time management, website creation. Within the pre/post programevaluation survey students about their interest in science and engineering, what they know aboutengineering careers, and if they see themselves pursuing engineering in school or jobs as seen inTable IV. A subset of survey items were repurposed from
same access to STEM as their typically developing peers,specifically, as discussed in this paper, access to computational thinking and robotics. We reporton the co-design of technologies for Opportunities for Robotics, Building, and InnovativeTechnology (ORBIT), an educational robotics program for autistic middle school studentsdesigned to integrate learning computational thinking (CT) practices with executive functioning(EF) skills. The program includes a computer coding component and several student-facingscaffolds. We are developing this program through a research-practice partnership betweenresearchers at a private northeastern university and practitioners at a local public school within asub-separate, special education program designed
equitable teaching practices and encouraged student agency to ensure positive learning outcomes. Their first year of PhD research focused on undergraduate student perceptions of social responsibility in STEMM, with special emphasis on science communication and policy advocacy, as well as the intersection of institutional culture and transformational change towards cultivating more inclusive and equitable access for underrepresented STEMM students. They are currently exploring undergraduate perceptions of STEM mentorship within student organizations and near-peer mentorship between undergraduate student mentors and K-12 student mentees within educational out-of-school time STEM programs. Outside of their research, they
learning is properlydesigned to emphasize the aspects of engineering content, pedagogy, curriculum, and assessmentthat e4usa thinks is essential and documents that.e4usa provides hands-on, collaborative learning experiences that prepare teachers to successfullysupport their students in using the e4usa curriculum, developing technical knowledge and skills,and creatively solving realistic problems with their peers. All of e4usa’s professional learningoptions ensure that teachers are well-prepared and supported throughout the program.Teachers, Students, ImpactSince its inception in the 2019-2020 academic year, e4usa has seen over 7700 students and 100teachers complete the program. Student projects have impacted the Nashville Zoo, communitieslocal to
discussed how some high schools lacked proper and effective career guidance programsthat were deemed necessary when students were choosing their college major [6]. Academiccommunities and international conferences embraced the importance of women’s representationin engineering by adopting topics pertaining to women as main session themes [3].The gender gap in engineering, although shrinking, may extend into the professional sector withsome women globally reporting challenges related to gender disparities [13], peer pressure [6],and financial barriers [3]. Some women engineers faced social stigma in the engineering industry[14, 15, 16, 17], including access to male-dominated networks, negative attitudes from male peers[6], and some degree of
ideas for theirchildren. During this process, they maintained their roles as co-learners, allowing the children togain agency over their work and build confidence. Thus, parents are important role models andcan directly impact their children’s attitude and interests towards engineering, especially inonline environments where children are not exposed to other peers or adults.Theoretical FrameworkTo explore how families navigate the moments of frustration, we draw on Vygotsky’ssociocultural theory, which emphasizes that children’s learning and development are shapedthrough social interaction with more knowledgeable others [23] who can provide appropriatescaffolds for children to accomplish tasks they cannot yet accomplish independently [24