Increasing Latinx migratory high school students' engineering interest and self‐efficacy beliefs: A culturally responsive gamified engineering design activity

Abstract Background The ongoing underrepresentation of Latinx students, particularly girls, in engineering calls for new approaches to broaden participation. The present study aims to address this disparity by implementing a culturally responsive gamified engineering activity for migratory high school students, an often‐overlooked subset of Latinx youth. The activity integrated principles of culturally responsive instruction and elements of gamification to teach the engineering design process and boost students' engineering interest and self‐efficacy beliefs. Method A repeated‐measures mixed ANOVA was used to analyze pre‐ and post‐survey measures from 144 Latinx migratory high school students who participated in a summer program. Results After engaging in the activity, Latinx migratory high school students had a significantly greater interest in engineering, and their overall confidence in their ability to academically excel in engineering increased. Students felt more efficacious in their abilities to tinker with devices (i.e., tinkering self‐efficacy) and apply design principles to solve a real‐world problem after the activity (i.e., design self‐efficacy). Notably, the gender gap in general engineering self‐efficacy narrowed considerably, with Latinas demonstrating a larger increase than Latinos. The gender difference in tinkering self‐efficacy was nearly eliminated post the activity. Conclusions The study highlights the importance of creating culturally situated engineering experiences for Latinx migratory high school students that call on their desire to make a difference in their communities, while also making these opportunities accessible to students who have been invisible in the conversation to broaden participation. Approaches implemented in this study may be particularly effective in addressing gender disparities in engineering.