Research: Asset-based Practices in Engineering Design (APRENDE): Formation of Engineers through a Funds of Knowledge Approach

拉丁裔(拉丁裔/拉丁裔的中性术语)人口在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)职业中的代表性严重不足。由于这种持续的代表性偏低，Latinx K-12学生缺乏在这些领域--特别是工程领域--职业生涯的榜样。此外，K-12教育中的工程学有时不能激发来自不同种族和文化背景的学生的兴趣。拥有来自组成美国丰富和多样化人才的所有群体的充分代表，对于充分发挥我们在STEM领域的进步潜力至关重要。因此，重要的是要了解如何鼓励所有学生攻读STEM学位，特别是中学的拉丁裔学生。这个项目的目的是探索教师作为直接的榜样，如何为拉美裔中学生充当积极变化的调解人和推动者。当教师学会如何将学生带进课堂的知识、技能和经验(也称为“知识基金”)整合到工程内容中时，他们就可以成为积极变革的推动者。对于教师来说，了解工程如何与拉丁裔学生在家中和他们所在社区的生活经历的现实联系在一起，为学生提供更好的从事工程的机会，这一点很重要。这项研究旨在建立教师的能力，帮助学生将这些校内和校外的经历联系起来。这样做为学生提供了一个基础，让他们感到兴奋，并感到有能力成为未来的工程师。通过为工程教育建立一个更具包容性的学习环境，K-12学生的教师，包括他们的拉丁裔学生，可以帮助多样化和增加准备从事工程职业的学生的数量。目前，关于如何发展教师将知识资金与工程相结合的能力，或这种整合对学生的影响的研究很少。因此，这个项目的目标是(1)探索知识资金与工程设计的结合如何以及在多大程度上能够促进拉美裔学生对工程的兴趣，以及(2)如何培养教师激活和承认学生知识资金的能力。该项目的重点是美国和墨西哥边境以拉丁裔为主的地区的中学生和教师，那里的ELL人口很多。它(1)为教师提供机会、结构和支持，以认识、重视和激活拉美裔学生与工程相关的知识基金；(2)创建一种结构和文化，帮助拉美裔学生培养自己对知识基金的意识，以及他们对工程的兴趣和知识。样本包括8名中学数学和科学教师，以及1名工程教师。预计每名教师都将为课程的开发和实施做出贡献，这些课程将工程学方面的知识资金整合到至少一个25人的班级中，每年实施的学生总数为225人。这项混合方法研究使用来自观察、访谈、数字日志、焦点小组、人工制品和调查的数据，以及定量和定性分析方法，来研究知识和工程资金的整合是如何发生的。这项研究涉及到需要促进更公平地组建工程师，在这种情况下，承认不同的声音。因此，这项研究中产生的知识对于培养未来的工程师和适应文化的教师至关重要。最重要的是，这项研究探索了教师和学校可以做些什么来支持工程学习，激发学生的热情，并激励他们成为杰出的、有创造力的和多产的工程师。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Latinx (a gender-neutral term for Latinas/Latinos) population is a severely underrepresented group in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. As a result of this persistent underrepresentation, Latinx K-12 students lack role models with careers in these fields -- especially in engineering. In addition, sometimes engineering in K-12 education is not presented in a way that excites the interests of students from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Having full representation from all groups that make up the rich and diverse talent in the U.S. is crucial to reach our full potential for advancement in the STEM fields. Therefore, it is important to understand how all students can be encouraged to pursue STEM degrees, particularly Latinx students in middle school. The purpose of this project is to explore how teachers, as immediate role models, can serve as mediators and agents of positive change for Latinx middle school students. Teachers can become agents of positive change when they learn how to integrate the knowledge, skills and experiences (also known as "funds of knowledge") that students bring into the classroom to engineering content. It is important for teachers to understand how engineering connects with the realities of Latinx students' lived experiences at home and at their communities to provide students with better opportunities to engage in engineering. This study seeks to build teacher capacity to help students link these in-school and out-of-school experiences. Doing so provides a foundation for students to get excited and feel empowered to become future engineers. By building a more inclusive learning environment for engineering education, teachers of K-12 students, including their Latinx students, can contribute to diversifying and increasing the numbers of students prepared to pursue careers in engineering.Currently, there is little research around how to develop teachers' capacity to integrate funds of knowledge with engineering, or the impact of such integration on students. The goal of this project, therefore, is (1) to explore how and to what extent the integration of funds of knowledge with engineering design can facilitate Latinx students' interest in engineering, and (2) how to develop teachers' capacities for activating and acknowledging students' funds of knowledge. The project focuses on middle school students and teachers in a predominantly Latinx area in the U.S.-Mexico border with a high ELL population. It (1) offers teachers the opportunities, structure, and support to recognize, value, and activate Latinx students' funds of knowledge in relation to engineering; and (2) creates a structure and culture that helps Latinx students cultivate their own awareness of their funds of knowledge, as well as their interest in and knowledge of engineering. The sample includes eight middle school mathematics and science teachers, and one engineering teacher. Each teacher is expected to contribute to the development and implementation of curricula that integrate funds of knowledge in engineering contexts with at least one class of 25 students, totaling 225 students per year of implementation. This mixed methods study uses data from observations, interviews, digital logs, focus groups, artifacts and surveys, as well as both quantitative and qualitative analyses methods, to study how the integration of funds of knowledge and engineering occurs. The study addresses the need to promote a more equitable formation of engineers where diverse voices are acknowledged. Thus, the knowledge generated in this study is essential for creating future engineers and culturally responsive teachers. Most importantly, this study explores what teachers and schools can do to support engineering learning, excite students, and motivate them to become outstanding, creative, and productive engineers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.