STEM Outreach Programs as a "Third Space" of Engagement: Potent Solutions to Stagnated STEM Interest

• In Event: 43.026 - Factors That Stagnate or Promote STEM Interest in College: A Longitudinal Perspective

Abstract

STEM job growth far outpaces growth in other sectors, and it is expected that STEM jobs will increase 8.9% from 2014 to 2024 (Noonan, 2017). Policymakers, businesses, and researchers have expressed acute concerns over an insufficient supply of STEM talent and what a projected shortfall will mean for the nation’s economic vitality and ability to develop innovative solutions to society’s problems (NSB, 2010). Too few students are interested in STEM as they enter college, and there is evidence to suggest that student interest in STEM fields has stagnated (PCAST, 2010).
The insufficient supply of STEM talent coupled with the need to inspire more students to pursue STEM early on in their education calls for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across K-12 and postsecondary spheres to identify and partner in strategies that can effectively promote STEM interest (Author, 2012). Indeed, the federal government has committed billions of dollars to STEM education and outreach initiatives, and has acknowledged the integral role of schools and universities as partners in the effort to forge pathways leading to a healthy, growing STEM workforce (White House, 2013).
This commentary paper argues that STEM outreach programs are a prime area for K-12 and postsecondary partnerships that create a “third space” for schools and colleges to engage students in ways that promote STEM interest outside of the regular curriculum. Framed by Vocational Anticipatory Socialization theory (Myers et al., 2014), we discuss a series of interrelated national studies we conducted examining the efficacy of STEM outreach programs spanning K-12 and college including: (a) STEM summer bridge programs, (b) STEM college campus visits, and (c) college-run high school STEM summer programs.
Each study used the same retrospective cohort survey that was administered to students at 27 universities nationally (N= 15,847). We employed propensity-weighted logistic regression modeling to determine the increase in odds of students expressing STEM interest among those who participated in a STEM outreach program compared to controls. Propensity weighting is a sophisticated statistical technique that balances participant characteristics (e.g., pre-program STEM interest, demographics) between program and non-program participants, thereby simulating randomized control studies, lending further robustness to study results (Thoemmes & Ong, 2016).
Collectively, results indicate that engaging students in programs that take place in a “third space” that spans K-12 and postsecondary domains is an effective means to promote STEM interest among students. Participation in each outreach strategy led to an increase in the odds of expressing interest in STEM for participants in summer bridge programs (twice the odds); college-run high school summer programs (1.8 times the odds); and college campus visits that included meetings with STEM professors and college students (1.4 times the odds). Ultimately, this commentary paper proposes the powerful socialization forces of “third space” STEM outreach programs that span K-12 and college. Based on our results, we argue the need to adopt multiple, complementary programmatic approaches to boost and support student STEM interest that sees K-12 and postsecondary educators as partners in solving stagnated diverse student interest in STEM careers.

Authors

• Joseph Kitchen, University of Southern California

• Gerhard Sonnert, Harvard University

• Philip M. Sadler, Harvard University