2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Despite the growing emphasis on engineering in K-12 grades, persistently high dropout rates plague undergraduate engineering programs. Previous studies have shown that engineering activities can increase interest in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pathways. Less clear is whether pre-college engineering instruction also contributes to students’ success in engineering career pathways by adequately preparing students for demanding STEM pathways. To support the development of authentic and rigorous engineering learning in K-12 settings, this mixed methods study seeks to understand engineering faculty’s views on incorporating engineering in K-12 settings, focusing on its impact on prospective undergraduate engineering students and the general student population. Employing a convergent mixed methods approach, this study gathered and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data concurrently but independently before merging them to explore the research questions. The quantitative component aimed to establish faculty members' priority on different engineering topics for their integration into the K-12 curriculum. The qualitative strand aimed to explore this ranking further and understand how K-12 instruction can better prepare incoming engineering students. Integration of the two strands allows for triangulation through comparing for convergence and divergence. The work in progress paper shares preliminary findings of the quantitative ranking task that indicates math and natural sciences as top priorities. However, engineering design practices were not considered an essential part of K-12 preparation, diverging from common K-12 engineering interventions.