Shifting Students’ Perceptions About Homelessness

Quantitative Assessment of a Project-Based Approach

Bibliographic Data

ID22042772
AuthorsDiana Chen (0000-0003-3616-1538, University of San Diego, corresponding author), Mark A Chapman (0000-0002-7151-723X, University of San Diego), Joel Mejia (0000-0003-3908-9930, University of Cincinnati)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue5
Pages608
Publication date2025-05-15
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci15050608
OpenAlexW4410410726
LanguageEN
References cited14

Although engineering institutional bodies uphold public welfare and the impact of engineering on people and society, engineering curricula rarely scaffold students to connect their technical learning with sociotechnical perspectives. This paper describes a project-based learning approach where engineering students engaged with issues faced by people experiencing homelessness to better understand the sociotechnical nature of effective, user-centered, engineering design. We conducted a quantitative assessment to determine how well and in what ways the project-based learning curriculum shifted students’ perceptions about homelessness. We collected pre-/post-survey data from students on 21 statements about their perceptions and attitudes about homelessness prior to and after an engineering project with a focus on homelessness in San Diego, CA, USA. The study aimed to measure the effectiveness of the course/project on shifting students’ perceptions from myths about homelessness towards reality, which supported the course objectives regarding diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We found that, from data from 166 students over 8 semesters, students’ perceptions had statistically significant (p

Mathematics education · Medical education · Perception · Computer Science · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice

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