An Exploration of Preadolescent Perceptions About Engagement in Interdisciplinary Research

• In Event: 18.058 - MTCC Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: 18.058-8 - Understanding Learners' and Educators' Experiences Dialogically: Negotiating Engagement, Power, and Participation in Novel Contexts

Abstract

This ethnographic study explored what counted as engagement for 25 students who identified as female and who participated in an after-school program about women innovators. We explored transcribed conversations between the participants and facilitators about what they thought was important about their experiences, the forms and formalities of engagement. Findings suggest that students found activities associated with school important and enjoyable when activities were integral to an authentic project that involved making programmatic decisions, assisting community professionals, and exploring through hands-on experiences and with new technologies. Participants expressed the importance of drawing from their interests, making learning relatable and memorable. Engagement meant they contributed to decision-making at programmatic and group level, making real contributions to and connections with community.

Authors

• Jasmine Kyle McBeath, University of California - Santa Barbara

• JOHN CANO BARRIOS, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Anna To, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Diana J. Arya, University of California - Santa Barbara