The Impact of Experiential Learning Program for Advanced Science on the Students’ Science Career Orientation

Abstract

The purpose of this study aims to analyze the effectiveness of experiential learning programs in advanced science, which were conducted as a community engagement program organized by the STAR Bridge Center (School Teacher And Research Institute) at K University. To do this, the one group pretest–posttest research was conducted to examine the science career orientation among 194 participants who agreed to take part in the research. The research findings are as follows: First, students who participated in the experiential learning program for advanced science showed an improvement in their science career orientation. Second, depending on the school level, the science career orientation has improved for the elementary and middle school students. Among the elementary school students, both boys and girls saw an increase in the science career orientation scores, while among the middle school students, the science career orientation increased for boys more. Third, within the group of the participating students, those aspiring to non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field careers, both male and female students, showed an increase in the science career orientation. Among the students with aspirations for the STEM field careers, the science career orientation scores showed specifically an improvement for the female students.