Urban Bird Gardens Final Report - Cornell Lab of Ornithology ...

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Careers in Science Whil While parents t saw science i as a fine fi career for f their th i children, hild they th were most t concerned d with ith their th i children’s economic future and supporting them in whatever career their children selected. Parents generally saw science education as important for their children when asked as ed about it t spec specifically. ca y They ey reacted eacted positively to the idea that their children might choose science careers, because they saw science as worthwhile. Participants, however, did not see a career in science being any more or less valuable than a career in another field. What was of primary importance to them was ensuring that their children received a good education so they could choose a career that would in turn provide their children with a better standard of living than they themselves had. In other words, parents saw formal education as a way to advance one’s learning and potential job skills and to become “prepared” for the workforce. One parent, for example, talked about ttaking ki hi his son to t work k with ith him hi so that th t he could see what physical labor entailed, hoping that the experience would motivate his son to stay in school and get an education that would lead to a good, middle-class job. While wanting to see their children succeed economically, parents also expressed a strong desire to support their children’s career choices rather than steer them in a particular direction. When probed about the prospect of their children selecting a science-related career, for example, many participants qualified their comments by first stating that if their children elected such a career, they would be supportive. But if they opted for a career in law or teaching, or some other field, , they y would support pp that as well. In other words, participating parents saw their role as being about making education a primary objective for their children and actively support their children’s career choices. Despite the fact that participating parents valued education highly, and worked toward advancing their children’s education and future prospects, our discussions with them and with community partners indicated that barriers to education still exist for these families. Discussions revealed that because of poor socio-economic status and relatively low levels of education , parents often lacked the tools to assist their children in planning and preparing for the elementary, secondary, and college courses co ses needed to pursue p s e higher highe education (including science careers). Additionally, parents participating in It’s about what they want and what they like. So I would want to support them in whatever career they choose. You can’t force them to do one thing. It’s up to them. As parents our role is to guide them and encourage them to study, to get an education and then they y can pick p the career they want. If it’s his decision to do a career in science then that is fine. You can’t dictate for your kids what career they choose. It has to be something they like. If they wanted to be a marine biologist or something that would be their choice. I’d support by kids in whatever [career] they want. If that’s a science career, why not? The environment is the future. A career in something like environmental science or even technology, that’s the future. So a career in that would be good. But it’ it’s up to t them. th Garibay Group │ Urban Bird Gardens Front-end Evaluation │ Summer 2009 19
Careers in Science, cont’d. focus groups were often unfamiliar with this country’s school structure and, as a result, were sometimes uncomfortable negotiating the education system. Economic realities and immigration status played roles in deciding whether their children could actually attend college. Nonetheless, results clearly indicated that participating parents valued science as a potential career and wanted their children to achieve as high a level of education as possible. p Additionally, data suggest that parents saw leisure as a way to augment their children’s education and, as a result, actively sought opportunities to broaden their children’s experiences and perspectives. The family infrastructure, coupled with parents’ interest in education, suggest that significant opportunities exist to engage participating families in these communities in informal science learning activities. Garibay Group │ Urban Bird Gardens Front-end Evaluation │ Summer 2009 20
Page 1 and 2: Urban Bird Gardens Final Report www
Page 3 and 4: Advisors: Leaders include Raúl Mar
Page 5 and 6: 2) Community partner interview (fro
Page 7 and 8: esources. Unclear roles, high turno
Page 9 and 10: ecruited by the city partner organi
Page 11 and 12: scientific fields and careers in sc
Page 13 and 14: Analysis of Project Research (from
Page 15 and 16: Urban Bird Gardens Front-end Resear
Page 17 and 18: Overview Th The Cornell C ll Lab L
Page 19 and 20: Overview, cont’d. and drew on the
Page 21 and 22: The Community Context Latinos in th
Page 23 and 24: Leisure Decisions, cont’d. While
Page 25 and 26: Leisure: Youth Th Three factors f t
Page 27 and 28: Technology Use TTechnology h l use
Page 29 and 30: Technology Use, cont’d. Th The gr
Page 31 and 32: Technology Use, cont’d. Not only
Page 33 and 34: Perceptions of Science and Scientis
Page 35: Perceptions of Science and Scientis
Page 39 and 40: Environment, cont’d. air, and get
Page 41 and 42: Citizen Science, cont’d. While no
Page 43 and 44: Citizen Science, cont’d. conducti
Page 45 and 46: Conclusions and Implications Chicag
Page 47 and 48: Conclusions and Implications their
Page 49 and 50: Appendices Chicago History Museum G
Page 51 and 52: Appendix B:Youth Respondents by Cit

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