The Impact of an Interdisciplinary Biology-Engineering Summer Program on High School Students’ Self-Efficacy and Interest

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Student Engagement and Approaches to Teaching in Engineering

Abstract

This proposal reports the outcomes of a 3-week extracurricular summer program where high school students developed skills and worked on projects at the intersection of biology and engineering. As part of their participation in the summer program, 21 students completed pre- and post-surveys of their self-efficacy and, respectively, interest in science, technology, and engineering. We also interviewed students to document factors that have contributed to students’ self-efficacy and interest. We found statistically significant changes in students’ engineering self-efficacy from the beginning to end of the program. Qualitative analysis of interview data revealed the importance of career aspirations as a motivating factor for students engaging in extracurricular STEM experiences, and the importance of prior self-efficacy to motivate further interest.

Authors

• Anna Fricano DeJarnette, University of Cincinnati

• Anushri Shankar, University of Cincinnati

• Stephanie Rollmann, University of Cincinnati

• John E. Layne, University of Cincinnati

• Dieter Vanderelst, University of Cincinnati