NE STEM 4U afterschool intervention leads to gains in STEM content knowledge for middle school youth

Christine Cutucache,Amie Sommers,Kati Mäkitalo-Siegl,Nikolaus Stevenson,Sirpa Kärkkäinen,Jamie Luhr,Erkko Sointu,Neal Grandgenett,William Tapprich,Teemu Valtonen,Taylor Boham,Sammy King Fai Hui

doi:10.1080/2331186x.2018.1558915

Christine Cutucache, Amie Sommers + Show 10 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.1558915

Copy DOI

Abstract

Afterschool interventions in STEM are linked to learning gains during the school day. These opportunities engage and excite students about STEM concepts since they observe a more hands-on, project-...

Highlights

There exist disparities in the performance of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the United States
We are working with the Omaha Public School (OPS) district in the state of Nebraska to address these issues by building on the school day with an afterschool intervention providing hands-on opportunities for youth in STEM content areas, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills
The two groups were: students that participated in the NE STEM 4U intervention at least 50% of the provided lessons, and demographically matched students that participated in the program less than 50%

Summary

Introduction

There exist disparities in the performance of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. We are working with the Omaha Public School (OPS) district in the state of Nebraska to address these issues by building on the school day with an afterschool intervention providing hands-on opportunities for youth in STEM content areas, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills. The proficiency rate for eighth-grade students in this district in science is 50%, and less than 35% when considering only those who receive free- or reduced-lunch (Nebraska Department of Education, 2017). These numbers indicate a clear and immediate need to provide additional, and hands-on, opportunities in STEM for Nebraska students. Afterschool programming has the unique opportunity to build upon the school day while providing the time and resources for youth to engage in genuine active learning strategies that include experimentation and project design

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion