Effectiveness of Geosciences Exploration Summer Program (GeoX) for Increasing Awareness and Knowledge of Geosciences

Houser, Chris; García, Sonia Martín; Rodríguez‐Torres, Janet

doi:10.5408/14-016.1

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Programs have been shown to increase interest in learning about engineering and related work, and ultimately to elevate student attitudes toward engineering (Chen, Tomsovic, Aydeniz, 2014). Other studies have shown that summer programs improved students' attitudes toward the geosciences and impressed upon them the lucrative nature of related careers (Houser, Garcia, & Torres, 2015;Miller et al, 2007). Participants in at least one such program were likely to agree that the geosciences were interesting, useful, and respectable, following participation (Miller et al, 2007).…”

Section: Stem Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The impact of college‐ and university‐run high school summer programs on students’ end of high school STEM career aspirations

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Insufficient student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers has been identified as a pressing issue by educators and education policy makers. This retrospective cohort study examined one promising approach to reach and inspire students early on: college‐ and university‐ run high school STEM summer programs. Data were collected from 27 colleges and universities participating in the National Science Foundation's STEM Talent Expansion Program. We examined the impact of high school STEM summer program participation on end of high school career aspirations among a sample of 845 program participants and 15,002 controls. The study employed logistic regression modeling with propensity weighting to address differences in group characteristics to model the impact of programs. Results showed that students who participated in a program had 1.4 times the odds of wanting to pursue a STEM career, controlling for background characteristics. A closer look at program design revealed that students experiencing the real‐world relevance of STEM had 1.8 times the odds of aspiring to STEM careers at the end of high school compared with controls. Findings suggest that scaling up STEM summer programs and carefully designing programs to show the real‐life relevance of STEM may be an effective strategy to curtail pipeline attrition and to inspire more students to pursue STEM careers.

show abstract

Section: Stem Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data collected through an evaluation of the Geosciences Exploration Summer Program ( N = 59) showed an increase in participants’ awareness of the kinds of careers available in the geosciences (Houser et al., ). Rohrbaugh and Corces () studied the Emory University RISE program, which, at the time of the study, had enrolled 39 students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of college‐ and university‐run high school summer programs on students’ end of high school STEM career aspirations

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In response to these calls, there is an emerging, and growing, body of literature. Some examples of the STEM initiatives and activities that have been studied include STEM dual enrollment courses (Corin et al, 2020), STEM summer camps or programs (Bhattacharyya et al, 2011; Boedeker et al, 2015; Donnelly et al, 2016; Fields, 2009; Houser et al, 2015; Johnson, 2016; Kitchen, Sadler, & Sonnert, 2018; Kitchen, Sonnert, & Sadler, 2018; Stolle-McAllister, 2011; Tomasko et al, 2016), after-school STEM activities (Allen et al, 2019), science hobbies (Corin et al, 2018; Jones et al, 2019), 4-H (Mielke & Butler, 2013), science fairs (Schmidt & Kelter, 2017), STEM competitions (Sahin et al, 2015), STEM-focused campus visits (Kitchen et al, 2020; Woolston et al, 1997), and educational robotics activities (Nugent et al, 2016). The majority of these studies have examined the impact of the respective activities and initiatives on outcomes like college GPA, college enrollment, persistence, STEM skills and knowledge, and STEM identity, belonging, and community development.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Participating in College-Run STEM Clubs and Programs on Students’ STEM Career Aspirations

Kitchen

Chen

Sonnert

et al. 2022

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The United States continues to invest considerable resources into developing the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent. Efforts to shore up interest in pursuing STEM careers span decades and have increasingly focused on boosting interest among diverse student populations. Policymakers have called for engaging students in a greater STEM ecology of support that extends beyond the traditional classroom environment to increase student STEM career interest. Yet, few robust studies exist exploring the efficacy of many programmatic efforts and initiatives outside the regular curriculum intended to foster STEM interest. To maximize STEM education investments, promote wise policies, and help achieve the aim of creating STEM learning ecosystems that benefit diverse student populations and meet the nation’s STEM goals, it is crucial to examine the effectiveness of these kinds of STEM education initiatives in promoting STEM career aspirations. Purpose: The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of one popular, yet understudied, STEM education initiative on students’ STEM career aspirations: participation in a university- or college-run STEM club or program activity (CPA) during high school. Specifically, we studied whether participation in a college-run STEM CPA at a postsecondary institution during high school was related to college-going students’ STEM career aspirations, and we examined whether that relationship differed depending on student characteristics and prior STEM interests. Research Design: We conducted a quasi-experimental investigation to explore the impact of participation in university- or college-run STEM CPAs on college-going students’ STEM career aspirations. We administered a retrospective cohort survey to students at 27 colleges and universities nationwide resulting in a sample of 15,847 respondents. An inverse probability of treatment weighted logistic regression model with a robust set of controls was computed to estimate the odds of expressing STEM career aspirations among those who participated in college-run STEM CPAs compared with the odds expressed among students who did not participate. Our weighting accounted for self-selection effects. Results: Quasi-experimental modeling results indicated that participation in university- or college-run STEM CPAs had a significant impact on the odds that college-going students would express STEM career aspirations relative to students who did not participate. The odds of expressing interest in a STEM career among participants in STEM CPAs were 1.49 times those of the control group. Robustness checks confirmed our results. The result held true for students whether or not they expressed interest in STEM careers prior to participation in STEM CPAs, and it held true across a diverse range of student characteristics (e.g., race, parental education, gender, standardized test scores, and family/school encouragement). Conclusions: Results suggest that university- and college-run STEM CPAs play an important role in the STEM education ecology, serving the national goal of expanding the pool of college-going students who aspire to STEM careers. Moreover, results showed that participation in university- and college-run STEM CPAs during high school is equally effective across diverse student characteristics. Policymakers, educators, and those charged with making investment decisions in STEM education should seriously consider university- and college-run STEM CPAs as a promising vehicle to promote diverse students’ STEM career aspirations in the broader STEM learning ecosystem and as an important complement to other STEM learning environments.

show abstract

“…Similarly, limited exposure to quality geoscience education in K-12 classrooms may contribute to a lack of interest in geosciences as a career due, in part, to it being considered low-prestige and low-paying occupation amongst students (Lyon et al, 2019). Even so, more concerted efforts to provide geoscience projects to high school students in both formal and informal settings report an increase in awareness and knowledge about the geosciences as a whole, as well as an increased interest in geosciences as a career goal (Schmidt, 2013;Houser et al, 2015).…”

Section: Problems and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of 3D Paleontological Data at the Florida Museum of Natural History

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The past decade has seen an exponential increase of innovative applications of 3D technology in the geosciences. Here, we present a case study from the Florida Museum of Natural History applied to the multidisciplinary field of paleontology. We have deployed 3D scanning and printing techniques for the purposes of scientific research, formal education, and informal outreach. Depending on the application of the 3D file, different techniques are utilized to create high-fidelity models of physical fossil specimens or geologic field sites. These techniques include X-ray CT scans, surface scans, and photogrammetry, all of which produce 3D models that vary in resolution and scale. Novel paleontological research applied non-destructive CT scanning to explore the internal anatomy of fossil museum specimens, additionally, 3D models are being used to create K–12 curricula aligned with national and state-specific education standards that are implemented in formal classroom settings. Many of these lessons are part of the NSF-funded iDigFossils project, which aims to evaluate students’ motivation and interest towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics after participating in integrated 3D printing and paleontology lessons. Specifically, lessons on dinosaur trackways, horse evolution, and the Great American Biotic Interchange teach geologic concepts such as deep time, taphonomy, plate tectonics, and evolutionary trends. The same 3D models developed for these K–12 lessons have been used during Florida Museum’s outreach events to engage broad audiences with hands-on exhibits and activities. All 3D files are stored on open-access, online repositories, providing accessibility to fossil specimens and field sites. The application of 3D technology for the study of fossils and paleontology will continue to expand the impact of scientific discoveries for basic research as well as for broader impacts on society.

show abstract

Effectiveness of Geosciences Exploration Summer Program (GeoX) for Increasing Awareness and Knowledge of Geosciences

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

The impact of college‐ and university‐run high school summer programs on students’ end of high school STEM career aspirations

The impact of college‐ and university‐run high school summer programs on students’ end of high school STEM career aspirations

The Impact of Participating in College-Run STEM Clubs and Programs on Students’ STEM Career Aspirations

Applications of 3D Paleontological Data at the Florida Museum of Natural History

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About