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During the middle school years, interest in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) falls off, especially among Black and Latinx students and women. In underserved districts, a small percentage of students graduate prepared for college and even less are prepared for undergraduate STEM coursework. Beginning in the 2009-10 academic year, we implemented an informal STEM program for upper elementary and middle school students from a nearby underserved district. Students chose from STEM offerings including hands-on engineering and computer technology courses, coding courses, and physics courses taught through hands-on activities and video games. We found that participants are similar in ethnicity, poverty, and residency, but outperform non-participants in a variety of New York State standardized measures of achievement while participating in the program and years after leaving. For example, program participants outperform non-participants in high school assessments in physics, chemistry, and math. They are also over-represented in advanced science classes, and in receiving diplomas with advanced designation-a key indicator of preparedness to pursue a STEM major in college.

In this paper, we describe both propositional and narrative frameworks to design and evaluate IPER programs. While a propositional framework provides a way to report on outcomes and is of interest to funders, a narrative framework provides insight into the lives of students and how a program fits into their life story. We have found that listening to students and understanding their lives provides insight into how to design a program that keeps students engaged, growing, and returning to the program year after year. Understanding the student narrative is essential and precedes the design of effective STEM programs.

This study examined the influence of narrative and propositional reasoning in a classroom context. Students viewed 1 of 4 videotaped instructional simulations that varied the controversial issue presented by the teacher and ways of reasoning about it. After viewing a videotape, students rated the expertness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness of the teacher, and the effectiveness of instruction. They rated the teacher as more attractive and the presentation more effective when he used a narrative rather than a propositional approach.

This study examines ratings of the credibility of a speaker and the message under two conditions. The analogue design presented either justice or care arguments that supported or opposed the reproductive rights of women. Credibility ratings included the attractiveness, expertness and trustworthiness of the speaker and the effectiveness of the message. We found that ratings of the credibility of the speaker did not differ in the justice or care conditions. However, when the message advocated for reproductive rights of women, subjects rated care arguments as more credible than justice ones. When the message opposed the reproductive rights of women, there were no differences in ratings of the credibility of the message.

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