STEM Career Choice: Middle School Versus High School Engagement in an Informal Learning Environment (Poster 28)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: Informal Learning Environments Research SIG Poster Presentation (Place-Based)

Abstract

Predicting learners’ pathways toward STEM fields remains a significant issue due to the increasing need to maintain an adequate STEM workforce in the United States. As such, a wide spectrum of formal and informal programs has been implemented to expose learners to STEM. One such program, the Young Scholars Program (YSP), was initiated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase awareness of STEM fields. Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study applies epistemic network analysis (ENA) to examine data collected from 14 interviews with YSP participants to compare patterns of discourse in the reflections of learners who participated in the YSP.

Authors

• Kristina M. Lux, Pepperdine University
  Presenting Author

• Seung B. Lee, Pepperdine University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joelle Molloy, Pepperdine University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alice Jokodola, Pepperdine University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Racquel Charles, LifeClinic
  Non-Presenting Author