2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Motivations, Challenges, and Funds of Knowledge for Children’s Engineering Learning at Public Library in Rural Communities (Fundamental)

Presented at Building Engineering Identity and Practice in Rural and Pre-College Contexts

Rural communities often lack access to engineering learning opportunities for children and caregivers. An online engineering program at rural libraries has the potential to broaden engineering participation; however, less is known about specific challenges that librarians and caregivers may experience in engaging in online engineering learning. As such, this study investigates rural librarians and caregivers’ goals and challenges for providing online engineering learning for children, and identify engineering-related funds of knowledge to understand how these challenges might be addressed. A case study methodology was employed based on interviews and ideation sheets of 21 caregivers and 10 librarians as well as librarians’ engagement during co-design sessions. Findings demonstrate abundant funds of knowledge acquired from rural participants’ familial, community, recreational, and interactional practices that are related with skills and habits of engineering. The findings further illustrate librarian and caregivers’ goals and motivations for offering engineering learning opportunities while highlighting engineering-related, online-related, and other challenges. Implications for designing a culturally responsive online engineering program that leverages rural participants’ funds of knowledge are presented.

Authors

Dr. Soo Hyeon Kim http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-5154-8381 Indiana University Indianapolis [biography]

Soo Hyeon Kim is an Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Indianapolis. As an information and learning scientist, her research agenda has focused on transforming rural libraries as facilitators for children’s engineering learning by expanding the benefits of makerspace and online space. She received her Ph.D. from Learning, Design, and Technology program at the Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Gi Woong Choi University of Cincinnati [biography]

Gi Woong Choi, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Instructional Design and Technology. Dr. Choi received his Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology from Penn State University and has a background in human-computer interaction and user experience. His current research interests include AI in Education, informal STEM learning, problem-solving, makerspaces, and educational affordances of technologies.
Ju Hui Kang University of Cincinnati [biography]

Ju Hui Kang is a PhD student in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Cincinnati. She has a previous background in human-computer interaction and communications, and her research interests include informal/online learning, as well as education in digital literacy and the use of social media for learning.

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Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
engineering
Pre-College