Sibling and Close-Age Family Member Interaction and Engineering Learning in Informal Learning Environments

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Burgeoning Research in Informal Learning (Table 23)

Abstract

Research on interactions of sibling and close-age family members on their co-development as STEM learners is scant. Therefore, in this collective case study, we addressed: How do siblings and close-age family members support each other as engineers in informal learning experiences? To analyze video data of naturalistic interactions, we coded the video recordings by epistemic practice, social events, and overlaps between the two. As a result, it was apparent that one pair did not support one another as engineers through reciprocity actions and behaviors, but the second pair did through complementary actions and behaviors. In our research, we saw that proximity to family members aids in practices as engineers, but also the dynamic of the relationship.

Authors

• Sawsan Werfelli, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Amber Simpson, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Kelli M. Paul, Indiana University