A Comparison of Two Engineering Outreach Programs for Adolescents

Autor/inn/en	Nadelson, Louis S.; Callahan, Janet M.
Titel	A Comparison of Two Engineering Outreach Programs for Adolescents
Quelle	In: Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 12 (2011) 1-2, S.43-54 (12 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1557-5284
Schlagwörter	Program Evaluation; Outreach Programs; Engineering Education; Adolescents; College Bound Students; Program Effectiveness; Attitude Measures; Attitude Change; Student Attitudes; Predictor Variables; Pretests Posttests; Secondary School Students + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Programme evaluation; Programmevaluation; Jobcoaching; Ingenieurausbildung; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Attitudinal change; Einstellungsänderung; Schülerverhalten; Prädiktor; Sekundarschüler
Abstract	There is continued growth and development of outreach programs designed to increase pre-college students' awareness and understanding of engineering as a profession and as a career. These outreach programs vary in format and in the groups targeted for participation, but maintain the same fundamental goal of increasing participant knowledge of engineering. Many of these outreach programs also maintain the implicit goal of increasing the participants' knowledge and attitudes toward college. The additional resources and funding that are commonly allocated to support outreach programs frequently involve documenting accountability which motivates evaluation of program impact. Therefore, many outreach events include program evaluation to assess impact on the pre-college participants' knowledge and perceptions of engineering but they have not included the assessment of program impact on college attitudes. In this outreach program evaluation study we examined the impact of two residential engineering outreach events on the participants' engineering perceptions and attitudes and their college attitudes. Our results indicate a number of personal variables were predictors of college attitude, but we failed to expose any variables as indicators of engineering perceptions and attitudes. Analysis of the pre-post survey scores revealed a significant change in engineering perceptions and attitudes (p less than 0.01), but no significant change in college attitude (p = 0.07). We also exposed a differential impact by outreach event. Results, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Institute for STEM Education and Research. P.O. Box 4001, Auburn, AL 36831. Tel: 334-844-3360; Web site: http://www.jstem.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10