Recognizing the funds of knowledge of first?generation college students in engineering: An instrument development

Background Students who are the first in their families to attend college an integral part of undergraduate engineering programs. Growing bodies research argue that educators could better support these students if they understood unique backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge bring with them higher education. Purpose/Hypothesis The purpose this article is twofold. First, we identify salient funds used by a group first-generation educational work-related experiences. Secondly, use identified our participants' experiences create survey instrument. Design/Method A mixed methods approach was used. Ethnographic interview data six were hypothesize constructs items. Survey collected from 812 students. Exploratory confirmatory factor analyses verify underlying theoretical structures among items hypothesized constructs. Results Validity evidence supported 10-factor model as opposed 6-factor model. 10 latent make up instrument follows: tinkering home, work, connecting networks family members, friends, coworkers, neighborhood perspective taking, reading people, mediating ability. Conclusions Recognizing students' step creating curricular spaces serve them. scale allows empirically examine how accumulated transmitted capital, advantages engineering, provides useful tool bridge classroom.