Informal Science Institution–Designed Efforts to Broaden Participation in STEM Learning and Career Pathways (Poster 4)

• In Event: Informal Science Institutions and Equity: Taking This Moment to Act With Justice

Abstract

Objective: This poster presentation will share findings from a project designed to learn: How can ISI-designed STEM learning experiences motivate and enable youth (who are not already in the “pipeline”) to pursue pathways towards STEM learning and career? What are the characteristics of these young people? What are the features of experiences that support them to pursue STEM learning and career pathways?

Theoretical perspective: Researchers and policymakers often use the metaphor of an ever-narrowing pipeline to describe the loss of students as they progress from elementary school to high school, then to college and degree attainment. The dominance of this metaphor has resulted in a narrow perspective of what success looks like and the and exclusion of individuals who take non-traditional pathways to the same outcome (Pawley & Hoegh, 2011; Xie & Shauman, 2003). This project is founded on a different perspective--a pathways perspective (Authors, 2014) that recognizes that individuals pursue myriad trajectories, implying that individuals who at 9th grade do not have an interest in STEM careers may still decide later to pursue STEM learning and career pathways. Given this vantage point, this study investigates the characteristics of learners and features of learning opportunities that enable youth to pursue a variety of pathways towards STEM learning and careers.

Data Sources and Analysis. Data for this study was collected from three ISI-designed programs designed to activate diverse youth ages 14-18 to pursue STEM learning and career opportunities. Pre-post survey data related to career preferences was collected from participants in three different programs. These data are analyzed to investigate the degree to which youth develop STEM career preferences during their participation in learning experiences. In addition, qualitative data collected through interviews and focus groups with a small number of participating youth were coded and analyzed to learn how particular features of these learning experiences motivate and position them to pursue STEM learning and career pathways.

Findings. Preliminary analysis of survey results indicate that youth (including those who are not in the traditional STEM “pipeline”) who participate in a program with particular features may develop an affinity towards pursuing pursuing a STEM career while in those programs. Analysis of program features and participant interviews reveal that some of the features of these programs that contribute to desired youth outcomes include the opportunity to work in teams, cooperate with one another, learn and share the role that scientific investigations can play in improving their community; and become engaged as change-makers through investigation, invention, and innovation.

Significance: The findings presented in this poster will challenge the notion that young people will not be positioned to successfully pursue STEM careers if they are not following a traditional “pipeline” trajectory. Further, it will generate information useful in attempting to increase participation among those who have typically been underrepresented in STEM. Finally, the poster will contribute to deeper understanding of the potential for using of participatory science research projects as a component of informal science education environments in general.

Authors

• Rena Dorph, University of California - Berkeley

• Valeria Fike Romero, University of California - Berkeley

• Matthew A. Cannady, University of California - Berkeley