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K-2 Grade-Age Children and Their Parents' Experiences Engaging in Engineering and Computational Thinking Activities in Informal Learning Setting (Fundamental Research)

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Technical Session 2: Let's Get Thinking Computationally

Tagged Division

Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43898

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43898

Download Count

88

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Paper Authors

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Abeera P. Rehmat Georgia Institute of Technology Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-4977-5830

biography

Hoda Ehsan The Hill School Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-3681-317X

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Hoda is Chair for Engineering and Computer Science Department and the Director of Quadrivium Design and Engineering at The Hill School. She holds a Ph.D in Engineering Education from Purdue University, M.S. in Childhood Education from City University of New York, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Bahonar University in Iran.

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Monica E. Cardella Florida International University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-4229-6183

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Monica E. Cardella is the Director of the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education (SUCCEED) at Florida International University. She is also a Professor of Engineering and Computing Education in SUCCEED and FIU's STEM Transformation Institute

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Abstract

This research study explores children and their parents’ experiences engaging in engineering and computational thinking activities in an informal learning environment. The participants in this study comprised eleven families, including K-2nd grade-aged children and their parents, who were purposively selected for this qualitative study. The findings revealed that many children initially hesitated to describe engineering and CT, but when probed, they explained that engineering and CT activities required them to build and/or code. Children also pointed out that these activities were like ones they had done in school. In contrast, parents described engineering and CT activities as requiring thinking and decision-making. Furthermore, some parents equated CT with coding and engineering with building, while others compared computing and engineering to other school subjects, such as math, science, and literacy.

Rehmat, A. P., & Ehsan, H., & Cardella, M. E. (2023, June), K-2 Grade-Age Children and Their Parents' Experiences Engaging in Engineering and Computational Thinking Activities in Informal Learning Setting (Fundamental Research) Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43898

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