Informal pathways to engineering: Middle-school-aged homeschool students' experiences with engineering (Fundamental) Conference

Jones, TR, Cardella, ME, Paulsen, CA et al. (2015). Informal pathways to engineering: Middle-school-aged homeschool students' experiences with engineering (Fundamental) . 122nd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Making Value for Society(122nd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Making Value for Society),

cited authors

  • Jones, TR; Cardella, ME; Paulsen, CA; Wolsky, M

authors

abstract

  • As efforts continue to promote increased engineering learning in school settings, it is important to also consider engineering learning in out-of-school settings, including learning that takes place as part of an informal learning experience or a homeschool experience. In this paper, we explore the experiences of middle-school-aged homeschool students whose families work to promote their children's STEM learning experiences, investing time and effort to ultimately cultivate rich and diverse engineering learning experiences for their children. The findings presented in this paper are based on interviews and surveys of 10 middle-school-aged children and their parents who participated in a longitudinal study of informal engineering learning. These findings provide insights into how homeschool parents access engineering learning resources, as well as the breadth of opportunities available for engineering learning in out-of-school settings.

publication date

  • January 1, 2015

volume

  • 122nd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Making Value for Society

issue

  • 122nd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Making Value for Society