| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 11, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 11, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 2003126 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Deena Khalil
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2021 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $299,787.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $299,787.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204 TEMPE AZ US 85281-3670 (480)965-5479 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
P.O. Box 876011 Tempe AZ US 85287-6011 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | ITEST-Inov Tech Exp Stu & Teac |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project creates partnerships among multiple schools and centers at Arizona State University with the Burundi-America Association for Humanity and Opportunities (BAAHO) to bolster representation of refugee families in STEM academic and career pathways. Refugee youth are sometimes overlooked by educators because of their emerging language skills, but like other youth they are capable of making important STEM contributions. This project recognizes and leverages the STEM knowledge and perspectives of Burundian refugee adults through a family-focused model that connects Burundian refugee families with university faculty and undergraduate students. Families with children ages 12-17 will participate in: ?living room outreach events? facilitated by students and faculty, opportunities to meet and interact with STEM professionals, field trips to multiple university campuses to learn about college life and various STEM pathways, and informal STEM learning experiences of choice with other families. Additionally, older children will participate in an innovative technology experience that facilitates mentoring relationships between STEM professionals and the youth through an electronic-based STEM Aspiration journal shared between the mentee and mentor. At the core of the project are partnerships and opportunities for reciprocal learning, where parents are able to share their expertise while also learning more about how to be effective advocates for their children; youth are able to learn from undergraduate and practicing professional mentors, while undergraduates also learn from Burundian youth; and Burundian leaders teach faculty and undergraduates about Burundian history and culture while faculty and undergraduates share their experiences with navigating STEM career pathways.
The project advances knowledge of refugee families? STEM experiences and aspirations through research framed around social cognitive career theory. The investigators examine the composite and specific effects of each of the project activities on the youth participants? self-efficacy, STEM identity, outcome expectations, and STEM interests, in support of their STEM goals. Additionally, the researchers aim to understand how college social capital and STEM capital among Burundian refugee families both directly impacts and acts as a moderator on children's STEM aspirations. In this pilot study, the investigators take a mixed-methods research approach, where qualitative methods allow them to understand how different aspects of the program impact the youth participants. In collaboration with Burundian leaders, the researchers adapt survey instruments for cultural validity, and administer the surveys for additional data related to the impact of the program activities. Contributions from this project will include: a family-focused outreach model that can be used by other universities and/or with other refugee communities, an approach to facilitating remote mentoring through shared electronic journaling, research findings related to how different aspects of the model impact refugee participants, and research instruments that have been adapted for use with refugee populations. The project will provide a foundation for possible future scale-up with other refugee populations (and in other communities), informed by the findings from this project and further supported by the International Rescue Committee.
This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts, and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
In this project, Advancing Refugee Youth's STEM and Social Capital Through Family-Focused Learning, we designed and implemented a transformative way of addressing our goals of improving STEM career aspirations among children of refugee backgrounds. By working directly with Burundian community leaders in the Phoenix metropolitan area, faculty and staff at Arizona State University were able to engage with refugee families who were originally from Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
During the life of the project, working collaboratively with leaders of the Burundi America Association of Humanities and Opportunities (BAAHO), we engaged with 33 families comprised of 95 participants (parents and children in grades 7-12). The families engaged in a series of Saturday workshops that integrated (a) STEM career activities led by college faculty and students and (b) college navigation curriculum, which was co-facilitated by community leaders and college faculty and staff. The workshops were interactive and often included small group discussions, hands-on activities, and special presenters. Particularly popular was information about how to pay for college, salaries associated with various STEM careers, and the different ways to begin a college program. The community leaders supported the families through targeted recruiting, ongoing communication, as well as translation and interpretation, as needed. The workshops were dynamic, fun, and well received. The graduation ceremony at the end of each session was particularly moving, as a parent, a student, and a community leader each provided heartfelt commencement speeches.
We also were successful in developing an e-mentoring program for some of the high school students. The mentors were identified by the community leaders, and the mentors were either college students or young professionals from the Burundian community. The mentors and mentees communicated via text messaging and video chat about once every two to three weeks. Mentors and mentees talked about a wide range of topics, including future career ideas, transitioning from high school to college, and summer opportunities. In collaboration with a high school counselor, we developed materials to support the mentors which included suggested discussion topics and tips on encouraging dialogue with a mentee.
Our families also had the opportunity to participate in field trips to Arizona State University and to our partner, Glendale Community College. We scheduled these field trips to occur during weeks when most local high schools were either on fall or spring break and the university and college were in session. The field trips were STEM-focused and included visits to an NSF research center focused on global clean water solutions, nursing, engineering, geosciences, and nutrition sciences.
As part of our research, families completed pre and post surveys that were available in multiple languages, and some families participated in interviews. Our findings demonstrated that involvement in the project had a significant impact (p < .05) on the STEM outcome expectations of participating youth, as well as their college social capital and STEM capital. Parents who took part in the project also experienced notable positive effects on their STEM identity and college social capital. This suggests that our program positively influenced students' perceptions of the rewards of a STEM career, and they felt more connected to STEM resources and individuals by the end of the program. Similarly, both parents and students expressed feeling more prepared for the transition from high school to college and more comfortable seeking assistance related to college preparation due to their participation in the program.
Highlights of this project include the unique dissemination of the Burundian community leaders (BAAHO). They collaborated with Indundi TV (an internet-based network with 245,000 subscribers) to produce three related videos primarily for Kirundi speakers. The videos are posted on YouTube and report on our project and show a workshop that our Burundian community partners did for families when they traveled back to Africa.
- https://youtu.be/aoc221Chd-M
- https://youtu.be/gpFSFdaWqMA?si=dyhiIK_STg2lRtYl
- https://youtu.be/IVuOoZQ8h3s?si=z4-h8MuXpfWcF6Ww
Other products included presentations at local and international conferences.
Ultimately, the project achieved notable success in forging a novel partnership. Collaboration between an ethnic community-based organization (ECBO) and a university is uncommon, yet it proved highly effective in involving refugee families. Through harnessing the community's strengths and the contributions of its members, both parents and children gained greater exposure to STEM careers, better understanding of college navigation, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Last Modified: 04/02/2024
Modified by: Eugene Judson
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
