2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 274: Exploring Problem-Solving Experiences in Autism-Inclusion Schools Using Photovoice: A Collaborative Data Collection Process

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

Many K-12 educational programs have recognized the strengths in preparing students for college and post-secondary opportunities by developing programs that foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical reasoning skills using strategies like the engineering design process (EDP) (Moore et al., 2014; Stehle & Peters-Burton, 2019). This helps students to apply conceptual knowledge in different subjects to solve open-ended, complex, multi-dimensional, and ill-defined problems creatively (Ehsan et al., 2018; Roerhig et al., 2012). Makerspaces can be optimal for developing these skills as they are collaborative contexts where students can develop digitalized or real-world tangible objects by planning, collaborating, testing, developing, and iterating to solve design problems (Papavlasopoulou et al., 2017). Learning these skills can prepare autistic adolescents optimally to gain productive post-secondary education or employment opportunities by equipping them with the necessary skills needed to succeed in these real-world contexts (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2020; Lottero-Perdue & Parry, 2017).

We designed inclusive engineering maker clubs across three years (2019-22) with experts from engineering, maker education, autism, and occupational therapy. Our project, titled “Developing Abilities and Knowledge for Careers in Design and Engineering for Students on the Autism Spectrum by Scaling Up Making Experiences,” is in its seventh year and provided in public schools in New York City to elementary, middle and high schoolers. This program was also developed to expand our programs around co-designing, teaching technological knowledge and skills in engineering to students, and providing accessible, safe, and nurturing spaces for autistic and non-autistic students, immersing them in interest-driven making and project-based learning (Martin et al., 2020).

Research from this program has demonstrated improved student engagement and increased interest in engineering, making, and understanding the value of STEM (Martin et al., 2020; Gardner et al., 2022). Students also showcased increased knowledge of the EDP as they developed problem-solving and other cognitive skills (Chen et al., 2021). To explore first-hand student experiences of using and learning about the EDP to solve design problems more comprehensively, we developed a participatory study using a data collection approach called Photovoice. This approach is qualitative and exploratory and incorporates values from Participatory Action Research methodology (Camar, 2015; Wang & Burris, 1997) by empowering participants to showcase data in the form of self-collected photographs that are meaningful and important to them in the research process. So, participants take on the roles of co-researchers, take photos, and share them with researchers. Then, they unpack the meaning of their photos in a collaborative interview process by choosing the photos that are important to them for answering the interview questions (Do et al., 2021). We incorporated this approach into an ongoing study to learn from our middle schoolers by collaborating with them in the data collection process.

If selected, we will showcase how middle schoolers used the EDP in our clubs to solve design problems using the photographs they collected and which components of the EDP our students found essential and helpful to solve their design problems. We will also present students’ perspectives and experiences of engaging in the photovoice process as collaborators and co-researchers.

Authors

Ms. Kavitha Murthi New York University [biography]

I am pursuing my doctoral studies at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in the Department of Occupational Therapy. I work with Vice Dean Kristie Patten on a National Science Foundation (NSF) project titled “Developing Abilities and Knowledge for Careers in Design and Engineering for Students on the Autism Spectrum by Scaling Up Making Experiences.” Through this project, I intend to explore the impact of interest-driven and strength-based engineering activities on autistic students’ learning and social development. I am particularly interested in understanding how neurodiverse adolescents problem-solve independently when engaged in interest-driven tasks. As I firmly believe research must be done with participants and community members, I incorporate participatory approaches to seeking answers to questions that are meaningful to the autistic community.

Before starting my journey at NYU, I completed graduate studies in Occupational Therapy in the UK and I completed my undergraduate studies in Occupational Therapy at the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India. I have experience working with a diverse population of children with developmental disabilities in Mumbai and Edinburgh. I have also contributed to various national and international research projects, the most notable being the Global Co-operation on Assistive Technology with the World Health Organization through my nomination with the World Federation of Occupational Therapists in 2019.
Dr. Ariana Riccio Arista Education Development Center [biography]

Dr. Ariana Riccio Arista leads research to mitigate the gap in services that autistic individuals experience in postsecondary settings. Her studies seek to improve curricula, transition supports, and pre-employment campus programming for autistic youth by using participatory research design, which employs the autistic community as co-creators of research products.

Arista is the principal investigator (PI) of the National Science Foundation-funded project Engaging Autistic STEM Undergraduates in Creating Supportive Learning Environments, and she is co-PI on Making Mentors: Enhancing Access to STEM Careers for Autistic Youth through Mentorship Programs in Makerspaces. She is collaborating on the NASA-funded initiative NASA’s Neurodiversity Network, which is working to create pathways to NASA participation and STEM careers for neurodiverse learners, particularly those who identify as autistic.

Ariana holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Graduate Center of The City University of New York and a BS in Biology and Community Health from Tufts University.
Wendy B Martin
Dr. Kristie K Patten New York University [biography]

Kristie Patten, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA, is Counselor to the President at NYU and a professor at NYU Steinhardt in the Department of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Patten’s research focuses on utilizing a strength-based paradigm, in partnership with stakeholders, to understand the impact of our biases and practices on quality of life and well being with a focus on interventions in inclusive settings. Dr. Patten has received over $20 million dollars in external funding for her research and programs. Dr. Patten is the Principal Investigator of the NYU Steinhardt's ASD Nest Program, an inclusive program for children and adolescents with autism in the New York City Department of Education, the largest inclusion program in the country, grounded in strength based practices. She is Co-PI of an NSF grant entitled, “Making Mentors: Enhancing Access to STEM Careers for Autistic Youth through Mentorship Programs in Makerspaces” which is an expansion of an earlier NSF grants entitled, “Developing Abilities and Knowledge for Careers in Design and Engineering for Students on the Autism Spectrum by Scaling Up Making Experiences” "IDEAS: Inventing, Designing and Engineering on the Autism Spectrum". These projects leverage strengths and interests of 5th through 12th grade students on the spectrum to develop social competence and potential career pathways as well as train autistic college students to mentor autistic high school students. Dr. Patten has published and presented nationally and internationally on topics related to examining the efficacy of public school interventions and viewing autism from a strength-based or abilities-based model.

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