IMAGINE :Identifying Misconceptions of Access of Underrepresented Groups in Engineering

Abstract:

Many African-American, Latino, and Indigenous youth close the door to STEM careers in middle and high school because they do not view this future as viable. The lack of inventors and scientists reflective of their own race in textbooks, amplified by unconscious or conscious messages from educators and mentors, often results in perceptions of “engineering is not for me”. Since family engagement at the middle and high school level is key to the college success of minority students in STEM, we developed a series of family-oriented events, “IMAGINE Nights”, to discuss common misconceptions about access to STEM careers. We focused on myths regarding skills (math is hard, only A+ students go to STEM), resources (STEM education will be more expensive, I’ll never get in X University), social life (cool kids don’t go to STEM), future perspectives (STEM is only for scientists, I want a ‘real’ job, I don’t want a PhD), and representation (no one there looks like me, no one in my family has done it). Every discussion is followed by introductions to various engineering fields, highlighting their opportunities, challenges, and potential career paths, through hands-on remote activities to engage families, introduce new technologies, and their applications in the science and engineering jobs of the future. We present the results from pre- and post-program surveys to assess change in understanding, STEM identity, and self-efficacy, and perceptions of family members and students. We discuss suggestions for implementing and scaling up distribution of these type of modules for broader communities.