Out-of-School Time Science Activities and Their Association with Career Interest in STEM

Dabney, Katherine P.; Tai, Robert H.; Almarode, John; Miller-Friedmann, Jaimie; Sonnert, Gerhard; Sadler, Philip M.; Hazari, Zahra

doi:10.1080/21548455.2011.629455

Cited by 286 publications

(273 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Females more often reported biology-related experiences (i.e., observing birds or plants), whereas males more often reported physicsrelated experiences (i.e., made a bow and arrow or played with electric batteries and bulbs; . In addition, the odds of reporting a STEM career interest (rather than a career interest outside of STEM) at the end of high school are approximately nine times as high for students who reported an interest in engineering or science careers at the start of high school as for students who did not report such an interest at the start of high school (Dabney et al, 2012). This finding indicates that students' interest and career intentions, which are impacted by students' out-of-school experiences, are an important part of possible engineering choice in the future.…”

Section: Underrepresentation Of Women In Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 97%

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Godwin¹,

Sonnert²,

Sadler³

2017

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

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Participation from a variety of students is important to the long-term growth of the engineering field. Much of the research on engineering recruitment or career choice has focused on engineering as a whole, even though engineering disciplines are varied in student participation and focus. This work examines how students' out-of-school interests and experiences in high school predict the likelihood of choosing a career in a particular engineering discipline. Out-of-school experiences offer more unstructured ways for students to meaningfully engage with science and engineering outside of the confines of the classroom. These experiences offer opportunities to spark particular science interests not included in traditional high school science curriculum. Additionally, participation in engineering for women has been historically low. For this reason, we also examined reported differences in out-of-school experiences by gender. Our findings indicate that reported out-of-school experiences increased the odds of students choosing particular engineering disciplines. Experiences traditionally stereotyped as masculine and more often reported by men, such as tinkering, increased the odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of men. However, some experiences equally reported by men and women, such as mixing chemicals or engaging with chemistry in the kitchen or talking with friends or family about science, predicted higher odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of women (chemical, biomedical, environmental). These quantitative results are a first step in understanding how out-of-school experiences are connected to the nuanced decisions of disciplinary engineering career decisions and have implications for the way engineering faculty draw on prior experience in the classrooms and for researchers on how out-of-school activities may predict students' long-term career decisions.

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Section: Underrepresentation Of Women In Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 97%

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Godwin¹,

Sonnert²,

Sadler³

2017

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It is well-documented that youth choose whether or not to pursue careers in STEM fields by eighth grade and choose whether they enjoy STEM content areas by as early as fourth grade (Dabney et al, 2011). Such interests coupled with learning gains will contribute to career competitiveness for youth that choose to pursue a career in a STEM area.…”

Section: A Critical Time For Stem Education In After-school Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering Curiosity, Inquiry, and Scientific Thinking in Elementary School Students: Impact of the NE STEM 4U Intervention

Leas

Nelson

Grandgenett

et al. 2017

JYD

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In this qualitative study, we assessed the impact of the NE STEM 4U intervention on elementary school youth in terms of excitement, curiosity, and STEM concepts. The NE STEM 4U intervention incorporates a problem-based learning theoretical framework in an after-school time, weekly or twice-weekly intervention. We assessed student performance over two academic years of participation in the intervention using the Dimensions of Success observational tool. Ultimately, we link this mentor-led program with increases in curiosity, inquiry, and STEM concept gains. Taken together, these findings support after-school interventions in STEM areas as key encouraging excitement in youth and motivation to pursue a career in a STEM content area.

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“…In other words, a transition from situational interest to individual interest may not occur as teachers and parents expect. Therefore, both situational and individual interests are significant considerations for curriculum developers, learning scientists, and educators in terms of nurturing young individuals' interest in pursuing a career in engineering (Brown & Krane, 2000;Dabney et al, 2012;Lent, 2000). This study explores the extent to which a robotics summer camp is a means for students to trigger, nurture, and sustain their interest in engineering.…”

Section: Interest In Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

First-hand Experience with Engineering Design and Career Interest in Engineering: An Informal STEM Education Case Study

Ayar

2015

EDUC SCI-THEOR PRACT

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The purpose of this study is to present students' experiences, interest in engineering, and personal narratives while participating in a robotics summer camp in a metropolitan city in Turkey. In this study, I used qualitative data collection methods such as interviews, field notes, and observations. I used the four principles of Engle and Conant as a framework for analyzing their interactions and tasks as well as to make sense of their mutual interactions, tasks, and social structure in the robotics summer camp. The study findings indicated that the robotics summer camp was different from regular science classrooms in terms of goals, practical work, and social structure. The robotics summer camp provided students with the opportunity to engage in robotics activities and have personal interactions with engineering researchers about engineering and their future career plans. The robot design experience and close relationships with engineering professionals at the camp were sources that nurtured and maintained student interest in engineering. I concluded that the robotics summer camp was a venue for students to gain first-hand experiences, develop and sustain interest in engineering, and comprehend the nature of engineering in general. This in turn helped students to determine their career choice and sustain a lifelong interest in engineering.

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Out-of-School Time Science Activities and Their Association with Career Interest in STEM

Cited by 286 publications

References 33 publications

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Fostering Curiosity, Inquiry, and Scientific Thinking in Elementary School Students: Impact of the NE STEM 4U Intervention

First-hand Experience with Engineering Design and Career Interest in Engineering: An Informal STEM Education Case Study

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