Full STEAM Ahead: A Participatory Study of Informal STEM Programming

• In Event: Youth Voices: Critical Engagement and Care in Informal Education Spaces

Abstract

This presentation will share Year 1 findings from an NSF-funded participatory project that examines how the STEAM lab embedded in a youth development program at XXX grows the STEM engagement of the Black and Latinx youth they serve and creates affordances for the development of STEM efficacy, interests, and identity. Results of year 1 data collected by our interdisciplinary team provide recommendations for how informal learning environments can support STEM outcomes for underserved youth by prioritizing youth voice, relationships, and accessibility. These findings, as well as others, will be shared in the presentation alongside initial recommendations for how informal learning spaces can encourage participation amongst a range of youth.

Authors

• Amanda Sommerfeld Case, University of Iowa

• Jessica Hauser, Downtown Boxing Gym

• Signe E. Kastberg, Purdue University

• Nielsen Pereira, Purdue University/Gifted Education Research & Resource Institute

• Viviana Piceno, Purdue University

• Yiheng Zhou, University of Iowa

• Tugce Karatas, Purdue University