Head Start on Engineering: Supporting Engineering Interest Development in Early Childhood

妇女和传统上服务不足的种族和族裔群体的妇女和个人在参与工程和取得成就方面的差距一直存在。教育工作者和政策制定者没有充分考虑大学和学校改革之外的方法，包括支持幼儿兴趣发展的方法。Aisl Path项目将侧重于工程，这已成为STEM教育领域的一个关键主题，也是教育标准和政策的一个重要方面。在坚实的经验和理论基础上，它将为未来的研究努力奠定基础，以促进该领域对儿童早期工程相关兴趣发展的有限理解，特别是通过亲子互动；创建研究工具，研究幼儿与工程相关的兴趣；并确定支持长期工程兴趣途径的有效战略。“工程学先行计划”由推进非正式STEM学习计划(AISL)资助，该计划旨在促进对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。通过基于资产的方法以及与家庭和社区组织的真实参与，Head Start on Engineering将试点对低收入家庭的限制敏感的研究和计划活动，并建立这些社区内的知识资源和资金。它将测试和提炼一种创新的儿童早期兴趣发展理论模型。试点研究的总体设计将是混合方法和短期纵向的，从参与计划的家庭收集项目实施之前、期间和之后的数据。量化措施将允许在群体之间和家庭内部进行一致的比较，而定性数据将有助于探索理论框架中假设的与方案执行有关的复杂因素和过程。这项工作将使工作组有时间解决有关如何可行地实施经修订的理论模型的关键方面的悬而未决的问题和问题，为作为项目下一阶段的一部分进行更广泛的纵向和实验性调查做准备。理解和尊重父母的信仰、知识和经验是这个项目的核心。在开发和实施计划和研究活动时，团队将采用响应文化和基于资产的观点。路径项目是学习创新研究所(ILI)的合作项目，ILI是一个非营利性组织，致力于通过研究、实践和政策倡议促进所有社区的终身、自由选择学习。胡德社区学院Head Start计划；俄勒冈州科学与工业博物馆(OMSI)，全国著名的科学博物馆；以及圣母大学STEM教育中心。该项目涉及有四岁孩子的家庭参加Head Start计划。教育工作者、社区组织和研究人员之间的合作以及研究和项目开发的综合方法将确保研究结果转化为实际有效的教育战略，并确保未来的研究努力以从业者和学习者的现实为基础。

Disparities in engineering participation and achievement by women and individuals from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic groups have been persistent. Approaches outside the context of university and school reform, including approaches to supporting interest development in early childhood, have not been fully considered by educators and policymakers. This AISL Pathways project will focus on engineering, which has emerged as a critical topic in the STEM education field and a prominent aspect of educational standards and policies. Building on a strong empirical and theoretical base, it will lay the foundation for future research efforts to advance the field's limited understanding of early childhood engineering-related interest development, especially through parent-child interactions; create research tools for studying engineering-related interest in young children; and identify effective strategies for supporting long-term engineering interest pathways. "Head Start on Engineering" is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants.Through an asset-based approach and authentic engagement with families and community organizations, Head Start on Engineering will pilot research and program activities that are sensitive to the constraints of low-income families and build on the resources and funds of knowledge within these communities. It will test and refine an innovative, theoretical model of early childhood interest development. The overall design of the pilot study will be mixed-method and short-term longitudinal, with data collected before, during, and after program implementation from participating families. Quantitative measures will allow for consistent comparisons across groups and within families, while qualitative data will help explore complex factors and processes hypothesized in the theoretical framework and related to program implementation. This work will allow the team time to address unanswered questions and issues around how to feasibly operationalize key aspects of the revised theoretical model in preparation for more extensive, longitudinal and experimental investigations as part of the next phase of the project. Understanding and honoring parents' beliefs, knowledge, and experiences is central to this project. In developing and implementing both the programs and research activities, the team will adopt culturally responsive and asset-based perspectives.The Pathways project is a collaboration between the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of lifelong, free-choice learning for all communities through research, practice, and policy initiatives; Mt. Hood Community College Head Start program; the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), a nationally renowned science museum; and the Center for STEM Education at the University of Notre Dame. The project involves families with four-year-old children who attend the Head Start program. The collaboration between educators, community organizations, and researchers and the integrated approach to research and program development will ensure that study findings translate to practical and effective education strategies and that future research efforts are well-grounded in the realities of practitioners and learners.