There is Still Work to be Done: Advancing School Counselor Engineering Career Knowledge & Skills through Professional Learning Community

• In Event: Preparing and Supporting School Counselors to Meet Equity Challenges

Abstract

Context/Purpose
The present study uses qualitative methods to explore the impact of professional learning communities (PLC) on school counselors’ ability to support high school students' engineering career development. Presently, school counselors have limited training regarding STEM careers yet serve a pivotal role in career guidance for all students, especially those who are underrepresented minorities (Falco, 2017; Simpson et al., 2020). As such, this study sought to increase school counselors’ understandings of engineering careers and provide opportunities to challenge biases and learn culturally responsive strategies to broaden participation in engineering career opportunities

Theoretical Framework
The Communities of Practice (CoP) framework illustrates how individuals gradually integrate into a community centered on practice through actual participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991). From this perspective, learning is not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the process of identity construction. Wenger (1998) further proposed that the CoP has three core characteristics: mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire, highlighting the important role of community learning in shaping identity and promoting professional development. Subsequently, Wenger et al. (2002) gave an evolved definition of the CoP, believing that its essence is a group of people who have a common interest regarding a concern, issue, or topic and deepen each other's knowledge and professional understanding through continuous interaction.

Methods
The research participants included 10 high school counselors who participated in a yearlong PLC which integrated a weekend in person workshop and monthly virtual meetings. Participants reflect a range of school environments including urban, suburban, rural, and virtual settings Seven of the participants identified as Black or Latinx and seven are in schools where over 50% of the student population are from culturally diverse backgrounds. Additionally, 6 school counselors were in schools where 25-75% of students have disabilities. Reflection data was collected via survey, letters participants wrote to the next cohort, and goals statements. Qualitative data was analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith, 1996), which allowed for detailed examinations of the lived experiences of participants on its own terms.

Findings
In keeping with IPA as a tool for data analysis, thick, in-depth descriptions are presented to illustrate the experiences of participants. High school counselors’ reflection on their participation in the PLC indicate a wide range of impact which include 1) social and emotional learning in the context of engineering education; 2) the impact of biases and discrimination in engineering; 3) commitment to broadening participation.

Scholarly Significance
This research, as an exploratory project systematically aimed at promoting the capacity building of engineering career counseling for school counselors, fills the gap in the research on counselors' career development in the field of STEM education. This study provides important references for the future design of counselor education courses and the development of PLC programs for in-service counselors. Further, this research highlights the unique role of school counselors as key contributors in the engineering education ecosystem, which can prompt policymakers and education leaders to more systematically incorporate counselors into the STEM education reform process and facilitate the cultivation of more diverse and inclusive engineering talents.

Authors

• Renae D. Mayes, University of Arizona

• Medha Dalal, Arizona State University

• Yijia Chen, University of Arizona

• Lydia Ross, Arizona State University