Middle School Science Readiness Program

• In Event: 49.031 - Fostering and Maintaining Students' STEM Interest Throughout the Educational Pipeline

Abstract

Recent research has shown the importance of student interest and achievement in STEM subjects during the middle school years for the eventual pursuit of advanced studies and careers in those fields (Tai, Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006). However, many middle school students lose interest or are irremediably behind in mathematics and science to reach those goals (Alspaugh, 1998). Afterschool programs have potential to alleviate this problem by providing access to high quality STEM teachers and engaging activities that prepare students to enter middle school by bolstering their academic skills and knowledge and increasing their interest levels. Accordingly, the Middle School Science Readiness Program (MSSRP) created and implemented afterschool-specific science and engineering activities for students who might otherwise lose interest in or fail to succeed in their science courses after transitioning from elementary to middle school.

The MSSRP consisted of two semesters of inquiry-based activities. The first, Think Like An Engineer, enabled students to design solutions to real-life engineering problems in a student-friendly, engaging manner. The second, Think Like An Astronaut, was similarly hands-on. It included activities in which students build rockets and evaluate problems that aerospace engineers might confront.

Each semester, more than 200 5th grade students from nine urban elementary schools participated in MSSRP activities. A group of their peers—5th graders attending other afterschool programs in the same nine schools—served as a comparison group. Curricular effectiveness was assessed with content knowledge pre-/posttests completed by students in both the project and comparison groups. Additionally, pre/post attitude surveys were collected to gauge changes in participating students’ interest toward science and engineering, as compared to their peers. Finally, qualitative data were collected from teachers who conducted the afterschool activities to capture their perceptions of the activities, as well as any observations of student improvements and changes that occurred during the course of the program.

Quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that participating students’ content knowledge, interest in STEM subjects, and applicable skills improved, compared to their peers in non-STEM afterschool programs. Further, program outcomes indicated that the most effective aspects of the afterschool program involved engaging students actively in collaborative group work, allowing them to work on topics related to real-world problems, and enabling students to troubleshoot their own designs. Teachers also indicated that they were most likely to re-use the activities that need very little set up or preparation, fit neatly into an appropriate time frame, and contain clear instructions.

Our results indicate that it is possible for students to learn potentially difficult STEM topics, such as engineering design, in an informal educational setting. These findings may provide a template for further development of afterschool programs seeking to maintain elementary students’ interest in and preparation for additional science and mathematics coursework in middle school.

Authors

• Nancy P. Moreno, Baylor College of Medicine

• Alana Newell, Baylor College of Medicine