A Case Study of Enculturation Practices That Support Emerging STEM Interest in an Out-of-School Program

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Building Cultures of Making and Learning

Abstract

Understanding how interest in STEM develops in context requires consideration of the structures of the learning environment and how these structures interact with the complexity of an individual’s multitude of personal interests. In this case study we examine how an emerging interest in STEM was supported over time for one female student in an effective out-of-school STEM program, and how those changes relate to the structure and practices of the program as a learning environment. Our findings suggest that social supports for enculturation into a community of practice, specifically, fostering belongingness and connectedness, and modeling and scaffolding community practices, can also serve to foster student interest to develop from emerging to well-developed interest.

Authors

• Joseph E Michaelis, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Mitchell J. Nathan, University of Wisconsin - Madison