Youth Engineering Solutions: Engineering Opportunities in Out-of-School Programs for English Learners

每年有数以百万计的青年参加校外(OS)计划。西班牙裔和黑人青年参加OS计划的比例是白人青年的两倍，这使得OS计划有望成为解决STEM中不平等问题的场所。尽管大多数项目提供STEM体验，但只有不到三分之一的OS STEM项目包括工程学。高质量的课程材料可以支持将工程学引入这些环境。然而，这些资源需要精心设计，以提供学习机会，确保所有青年都能参与、贡献和受益。美国增长最快的初级人口之一是英语学习者(ELS)。这些年轻人面临着既要学习英语又要学习工程学等学术内容的挑战。几乎没有为操作系统设置的工程课程，其中包括为ELS及其教育人员搭建的脚手架。青年工程解决方案：面向英语学习者的校外项目中的工程机会(YES-OS)项目将提炼一套以公平为导向的OS工程设计原则，这些原则受到ELS战略的启发。它将与操作系统教育工作者和利益相关者密切合作，为9-12岁的青少年开发和研究两个操作系统工程课程单元。这些单元将以社会参与、现实世界的设计挑战为特色，吸引年轻人参与工程实践，并提供语言支架。这些教育材料将包括面向青年、教育工作者和家庭的资源，并将在全国范围内推广。研究将研究课程如何为ELS提供机会并支持教育工作者。是-OS的原则、资源和研究将为基于资产的模式提供信息，这些模式建立在青年经验的基础上，以创造更公平的教育机会，从而扩大对工程的参与。YES-OS将调查以公平为导向的OS工程课程为ELS提供机会学习知识、话语和实践的方式；将他们的文化、经验和想法带到工程项目中；扩大他们的身份和兴趣的保留范围；并加强学习社区的成员资格。该项目将：(1)提炼、应用、研究和修改一套面向公平的操作系统工程课程的设计原则，这些原则受到ELS战略的启发；(2)为9-12岁的青少年开发、测试和修改两个OS工程单元，利用基于设计的研究来实例化这些原则；(3)开始审查ELS在OS编程中对工程的承受能力。这将包括调查工程学单位如何让青年参与学科知识和实践，建立社会和学术话语，提高对STEM的兴趣，并培养一个支持参与和认同发展的社区，以及(4)探索以公平为基础的工程学课程如何支持OS教育人员建立他们对工程学、工程学实践和ELS的知识和信心，并创建基于资产的工程学规划。是的-OS将使用基于设计的研究来系统地设计课程，同时研究课程设计的有效性和它们所营造的学习环境。全国30名操作系统教育工作者将与开发人员合作测试框架和材料。将使用多种定性和定量方法分析数据，包括教育工作者反馈、青年工作、调查、观课和视频以及焦点小组。资源和研究结果将通过网站、会议、网络研讨会、时事通讯、研究文章和社交媒体传播给教育工作者、利益相关者、公众和研究人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Millions of youth participate in out-of-school (OS) programs each year. Hispanic and Black youth participate at twice the rate of Caucasian youth in OS programs, making OS programs promising venues for addressing inequities in STEM. Although a majority of programs offer STEM experiences, less than a third of OS STEM programming includes engineering. High-quality curricular materials can support the introduction of engineering into these environments. However, such resources need to be carefully designed to provide learning opportunities that ensure all youth can participate, contribute, and benefit. One of the most rapidly growing populations in the U.S. at the elementary level are English learners (ELs). These youth face the challenge of simultaneously learning English and academic content, such as engineering. Few, if any, engineering curricula exist for OS settings that include scaffolds for ELs and their educators. The Youth Engineering Solutions: Engineering Opportunities in Out-of-School Programs for English Learners (YES-OS) project will refine a set of equity-oriented design principles for OS engineering that are informed by strategies for ELs. It will work closely with OS educators and stakeholders to develop and study two OS engineering curricular units for youth ages 9–12. Units will feature socially engaged, real-world design challenges, engage youth in engineering practices, and provide language scaffolds. The educative materials will include youth, educator, and family-facing resources and will be designed to scale nationwide. Research will study how curricula can provide opportunities for ELs and support educators. YES-OS’s principles, resources, and research will inform asset-based models that build on youth’s experience to create more equitable educational opportunities and thus broaden participation in engineering.YES-OS will investigate ways that equity-oriented OS engineering curricula provide opportunities for ELs to learn knowledge, discourses, and practices; bring their cultures, experiences, and ideas to the engineering projects; expand their repertoire of identities and interests; and enhance membership in the learning community. The project will: (1) refine, apply, study, and modify a set of equity-oriented design principles for OS engineering curricula that are informed by strategies for ELs, (2) develop, test, and revise two OS engineering units for youth in ages 9–12 that instantiate the principles using design-based research, (3) begin to examine affordances of engineering for ELs in OS programming. This will include investigating how the engineering units engage youth in disciplinary knowledge and practices, scaffold social and academic discourses, increase interest in STEM, and foster a community that supports participation and identity development, and (4) explore how equity-based engineering curricula can support OS educators as they build their knowledge of and confidence with engineering, engineering practices, and ELs and create asset-based engineering programming. YES-OS will use design-based research to systematically design curriculum while simultaneously researching the efficacy of the curriculum design and the learning environments they foster. Thirty OS educators nationwide will work with developers to test frameworks and materials. Data including educator feedback, youth work, surveys, lesson observations and video, and focus groups will be analyzed using multiple qualitative and quantitative methods. Resources and findings will be disseminated to educators, stakeholders, the public, and researchers through websites, conferences, webinars, newsletters, research articles, and social media.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.