Identifying Children’s Funds of Knowledge as a Bridge to STEM

This research investigated the funds of knowledge of elementary-aged children in a “low-asset” community and the impact of a community-based curriculum on these funds of knowledge. Funds of knowledge refer to historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills for household or individual functioning and well-being (González et al., 2005). Funds of knowledge theorizing practices in households and classrooms. STEM funds of knowledge refer to social and intellectual resources gained from community practices and household activities that relate to codified STEM learning outcomes. In order to ascertain the STEM funds of knowledge of children in their homes, household visits, parent and child questionnaires, and extensive community consultations were conducted. This data was analyzed using a process of collective coding by members from this community and researchers. Drawing upon the codes, a STEM funds of knowledge curriculum was co-developed for over 45 children with the goal of incorporating children’s STEM funds of knowledge from their homes into the lesson plans of the curriculum. Children questionnaires, parent questionnaires, and teacher reflections were analyzed to assess the impact of this curriculum on children’s learning of STEM. Our analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data revealed that (1) young children’s STEM funds of knowledge can be identified through home and community-based methods used, (2) young children’s STEM funds of knowledge in this community involved construction (painting, design), technology (usage of computers and electronic devices, understanding graphical user interfaces), plant (plant anatomy and biology, gardening), and environmental science (sustainability concepts, pollution, human impact on environment, recycling and composting), and (3) elementary curricula designed based on children’s funds of knowledge can be a powerful way to integrate existing STEM knowledge from the household with new STEM knowledge. This study aims to contribute to research on curriculum by conceptualizing a case of a funds of knowledge curriculum in the area of STEM and by assessing the possible impacts of curricula using a mixed-methods approach.