Developing Professional Learning Experiences in Engineering for High School Counselors

High school counselors play an integral role in supporting students’ trajectories toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Many professional learning experiences for counselors have not focused specifically on developing awareness of a broad array of STEM careers and the corresponding high school activities and coursework that can establish students’ trajectories toward these careers. This project addresses this gap in practice by developing year-long professional learning experiences focused on engineering-related careers, with and for high school counselors. The professional learning experiences will highlight numerous characteristics of engineering and underscore strengths that students from underrepresented groups can offer to engineering fields to address historical trends. Research will explore whether and how the professional learning experiences influence the participants’ dispositions and practices of inclusive engineering-related counseling. The project will broaden participation in engineering through a research-based approach to professional learning for high school counselors, such that they can effectively encourage more students to consider and pursue trajectories and careers in engineering-related fields.

In this exploratory project, three cohorts of high school counselors from diverse rural, urban, and suburban schools will participate in a year-long professional learning experience focused on inclusive engineering counseling practices. Research will explore whether and how the counselors develop efficacy and dispositions of inclusive engineering career counseling, and whether they practice inclusive engineering counseling when advising students from groups underrepresented in engineering, such as girls and youth in rural schools. The research team will conduct analyses and triangulation of the following data sources: transcripts from interviews and focus groups with the counselors; artifacts collected from the professional learning experience; and pre- and post-surveys. The educational materials associated with the professional learning experience will be disseminated widely via professional networks of school counselors, while the empirical results will be shared through various counseling and educational research venues. The project contributes to the capacity-building of school counselors who play an important role in building interests in engineering careers. Long-term broader impacts include improving the diversity of our nation's engineering workforce.