Understanding the Influence of a Week-Long Electrical and Computer Engineering Summer Camp on Middle School Students’ Interests in STEM (RTP)

Joshua E. Katz; Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam; Yang Victoria Shao; Yuting W. Chen

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Krusty's Creations: Robotics and Electronics in Springfield STEAM, Hey Hey!
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/48197

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Paper Authors

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Joshua E. Katz University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Joshua E. Katz is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his research centers on collaborative learning in engineering education and other STEM disciplines. He obtained his B.S. in Technology and Engineering Education in 2019 and his M.S. in STEM Education and Leadership in 2021, both from Illinois State University. Additionally, he holds a professional educator license for secondary education in Technology and Engineering Education in Illinois.

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Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, UIUC. His research focuses on Collaborative Learning, Learning Analytics, and Human-Centered Design within STEM disciplines. His background is in mechanical engineering and education.

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Yang Victoria Shao University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Yang V. Shao is a teaching assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering department at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She earned her Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Dr. She has

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Yuting W. Chen University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Dr. Yuting W. Chen received the B.S. degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2007, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009 and 2011, all in Electrical Engineering. She is currently a Teaching Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of Women in Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her current interests include recruitment and retention of under-represented students in STEM, professional development for graduate students, and curriculum innovation in computing.

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Abstract

Student interest in engineering at the K-12 level has been shown to predict whether students of all backgrounds pursue engineering as a college major and career [1],[2]. Middle school is a critical time when student interest, identity, and career choices begin to solidify. Scientists have developed a framework based on social cognitive theory for understanding three factors that are critical in career pathway development in late adolescence and early adulthood, namely, "(1) Formation and elaboration of career-relevant interests, (2) Selection of academic and career choice options, and (3) Performance and persistence in educational and occupational pursuits" [4, p. 79]. They also point out that social and economic factors affect the level and content of career choices. Since states have been slow to adopt the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and include engineering curricula in their K-12 classrooms, many universities with engineering programs have implemented informal STEM outreach programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. Thus, there is a need to better understand how outreach programs such as engineering summer camps influence engineering interest and identity in middle school students and their subsequent choice of engineering as a major and career.

In the Summer of 2023, 18 middle school students participated in a week-long summer camp that focused on electrical and computer engineering (ECE) concepts and practices. The five-day summer camp consisted of hands-on activities, tours of different laboratories in ECE disciplines, and a group project that spanned the whole week where students built circuits using the SparkFun Inventor’s kit. During the group activity, the students were organized into eight groups, and each group was mentored by an undergraduate mentor who facilitated the collaborative hands-on activities. The middle school students completed validated and reliable pre and post-surveys adapted from the Student Attitudes Toward STEM (S-STEM) Survey and the Group Work Skills Questionnaire Manual. The S-STEM survey is focused on STEM interests while the Group Work Skills Questionnaire Manual Survey is centered on student collaboration. The results of Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests indicated positive significant impacts on 21st-century learning, Group work, student’s expected class performances (in Math, Science, Engineering, and English) and student’s plan to take advanced courses in the future (in Math, Science, and Engineering). Additionally, daily reflection surveys were administered to understand the impact of individual activities students participated in each day. Results were analyzed to identify activities that positively improved domains in student interests, which provided additional context to the meaning of the results from the pre- and post-survey. This approach provides valuable insights for designing more inclusive and impactful STEM education interventions, ultimately contributing to a broader and more diverse STEM pipeline. Future work will explore the effects of socio-economic diversity on STEM engagement outcomes, and investigate which specific camp activities most effectively promote STEM interest across different student demographics.

Citation
Format

Katz, J. E., & Rajarathinam, R. J., & Shao, Y. V., & Chen, Y. W. (2024, June), Understanding the Influence of a Week-Long Electrical and Computer Engineering Summer Camp on Middle School Students’ Interests in STEM (RTP) Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48197

TY - CPAPER
AB - Student interest in engineering at the K-12 level has been shown to predict whether students of all backgrounds pursue engineering as a college major and career [1],[2]. Middle school is a critical time when student interest, identity, and career choices begin to solidify. Scientists have developed a framework based on social cognitive theory for understanding three factors that are critical in career pathway development in late adolescence and early adulthood, namely, &quot;(1) Formation and elaboration of career-relevant interests, (2) Selection of academic and career choice options, and (3) Performance and persistence in educational and occupational pursuits&quot; [4, p. 79]. They also point out that social and economic factors affect the level and content of career choices. Since states have been slow to adopt the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and include engineering curricula in their K-12 classrooms, many universities with engineering programs have implemented informal STEM outreach programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. Thus, there is a need to better understand how outreach programs such as engineering summer camps influence engineering interest and identity in middle school students and their subsequent choice of engineering as a major and career.

In the Summer of 2023, 18 middle school students participated in a week-long summer camp that focused on electrical and computer engineering (ECE) concepts and practices. The five-day summer camp consisted of hands-on activities, tours of different laboratories in ECE disciplines, and a group project that spanned the whole week where students built circuits using the SparkFun Inventor’s kit. During the group activity, the students were organized into eight groups, and each group was mentored by an undergraduate mentor who facilitated the collaborative hands-on activities. The middle school students completed validated and reliable pre and post-surveys adapted from the Student Attitudes Toward STEM (S-STEM) Survey and the Group Work Skills Questionnaire Manual. The S-STEM survey is focused on STEM interests while the Group Work Skills Questionnaire Manual Survey is centered on student collaboration. The results of Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests indicated positive significant impacts on 21st-century learning, Group work, student’s expected class performances (in Math, Science, Engineering, and English) and student’s plan to take advanced courses in the future (in Math, Science, and Engineering). Additionally, daily reflection surveys were administered to understand the impact of individual activities students participated in each day. Results were analyzed to identify activities that positively improved domains in student interests, which provided additional context to the meaning of the results from the pre- and post-survey. This approach provides valuable insights for designing more inclusive and impactful STEM education interventions, ultimately contributing to a broader and more diverse STEM pipeline. Future work will explore the effects of socio-economic diversity on STEM engagement outcomes, and investigate which specific camp activities most effectively promote STEM interest across different student demographics.
AU - Joshua E. Katz
AU - Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam
AU - Yang Victoria Shao
AU - Yuting W. Chen
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Understanding the Influence of a Week-Long Electrical and Computer Engineering Summer Camp on Middle School Students’ Interests in STEM (RTP)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/48197
ER -