Studio STEM: An Out-of-School Design-Based Science Learning Program for Rural Middle School Youth

• In Event: 70.055 - Toward Social Justice Through Expansion of STEM Opportunities: The Influence of After-School and Summer Programs

Abstract

Interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) during the middle school years is a predictor of future involvement in those fields (Maltese & Tai, 2010). Science-rich out-of-school programs have the potential to sustain interest during this formative period. Informal learning programs offer youth opportunities to engage in meaningful hands-on, minds-on science, often resulting in conceptual change and more positive attitudes toward science (Schnittka & Bell, 2011; Gerber, Cavallo, & Marek, 2001). Learning activities in out-of-school programs are often designed to be collaborative in nature, lending to both social and cognitive development while providing a safe space to engage with peers and adults other than their teachers (Durlak, Weissberg, & Pachan, 2010). Although out-of-school learning experiences can promote interest in STEM, there remains much to be learned about how youth engage in out-of-school programs and the role that more knowledgeable others and technology play in the process (Evans, 2009). A greater contribution could be made if out-school programs focused on engineering design, an approach increasingly promoted yet insufficiently investigated.

The value of introducing STEM education programs in middle school curricula for youth has become an increasingly important issue (Katehi, Pearson, & Feder, 2009). There is an ongoing national US agenda to reform science and mathematics education and to increase youth interest in STEM. Leaders in areas of government, business, and educational policy have expressed a need for this reform (National Research Council, 2009). Multiple problems related to STEM education have been identified, including: US students score lower in standardized mathematics and science tests compared to students in many other countries, an insufficient number of students pursuing STEM careers, and a lack of diversity within STEM fields (Sadler, Sonnert, Hazari, & Tai, 2012).

Attracting youth to STEM fields is necessary long before they apply to college because many youth formulate ideas about possible careers by adolescence (Reigle-Crumb, Moore, & Ramos-Wada, 2010). By high school, many students’ opinions about science have been formed and remain somewhat fixed (Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, & Pastorelli, 2001). Sadler et al. (2012) found that an important predictor of STEM career interest at the end of high school was youth’s interest in STEM at the beginning of high school. In another study, many advanced science students in high school reported that their interest in science developed in middle school (Maltese & Tai, 2010). Further, enrolling in science and mathematics courses in high school has been shown to predict the pursuit of a science or mathematics college major in college (Trusty, 2002). These findings highlight the importance of getting students interested in STEM early in their education and have served as a driving force for targeting this age group for Studio STEM.

This presentation describes Studio STEM, a engineering design-based out-of-school program with an interdisciplinary curriculum that utilizes a technology-rich context. The goal of Studio STEM is to assist youth in learning about energy conservation while motivating girls and boys to one day pursue careers in STEM. Tables 1 & 2 provide results on motivation and learning.

Authors

• Michael A. Evans, North Carolina State University

• Christine G. Schnittka, University of Virginia

• Brett D. Jones, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Carol B. Brandt, Temple University