Work

Engaging Parents and Their Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Latina Daughters in a Family Science Program

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This research study was conducted to pilot an out-of-school family science program for fifth- and sixth-grade Latina girls and their parents. Program goals included encouraging parents in supporting their Latina daughters in science, increasing the girls’ interest in science and increasing the families’ participation in science experiences together. The 41 families participated in a 7-week Saturday program on either rocketry or gardening. Each week, the parent–daughter dyads engaged in hands-on Family Problem-Based Learning activities together and then the parents and daughters met separately in Conversation Groups. To measure the impact of the program, surveys were administered to the parents and daughters separately at four points: pre-, mid-, post- and delayed-post (three months after the program). Parents reported increases over time for several aspects of their support for their daughters in science and also increases in frequency of science experiences with their daughters. The daughters reported increases over time in their science identity and their discussions with their parents about jobs in science. In addition, the examination of video-recordings of a subset of the parent–daughter interactions during the activities revealed that parental and daughter behaviors evolved over the course of the program. Implications for engaging parents in science education are discussed.

Source: Education Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/educsci15040512

Authors: Katherine Short-Meyerson, Margarita Jiménez-Silva, Peter Rillero

Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, University of California, Davis, Arizona State University

Language: English

Topic: Science Education and Perceptions

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172