Summer Program Research Articles

Community Health Scholars: a summer program developing a public health workforce pipeline for diverse high school students.

In response to the growing interest in public health and needs to both increase and diversify the public health workforce, opportunities to engage students early in their educational journey are essential. The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa launched the Community Health Scholars Program to provide activities for high school students to learn about and build enthusiasm for the field of public health. During the 6-week, in-person summer program, students underrepresented in higher education and who are from historically underrepresented communities completed a college course and participated in activities to enhance their successful entry into a higher education institution. The Community Health Scholars completed an introduction to public health course and gained an array of public health skills through different hands-on activities. The students gained self-confidence and expanded their social capital by attending workshops led by campus faculty, staff, and community partners. A final project highlighting what students learned about themselves and their community was part of a final program showcase. Here we share information about the process of developing the program, the components of the program curriculum, and feedback from both students of the initial cohort and program faculty, where overall satisfaction with the program was reported.

Reaching Students with Reading Disabilities During the Summer

The extended summer break from school brings a renewed opportunity to offer high-quality literacy experiences to vulnerable readers, including children with reading disabilities (RD). Students with RD trail their peers in reading progress during the school year; the summer months present an opportunity to address the gap in reading achievement. Policy makers can support reading achievement during summer vacation empowered by interdisciplinary knowledge spanning cognitive neuroscience and education. The science of brain plasticity emphasizes the requirement of impactful reading experiences, especially for word-level skills, toward building reading brain networks. A review of research on summer programming and current policies culminates in recommendations to capitalize on summer opportunities to advance reading achievement.

Exploring the effects of a short-term, nature-based preschool experience: a mixed-methods investigation

AbstractGaining access to early childhood education can be challenging for some families, but summer programs may provide more opportunities for children of all backgrounds. In the USA, some of these expanded opportunities have come by way of an increased number of nature-based preschool programs. This study investigated a short-term, nature-based summer preschool program. Using an ecological systems perspective, researchers determined how the program affected children’s social-emotional skills, if children from the program demonstrated appropriate academic growth, and if children showed stronger connections to nature after participation. Multiple data streams were analyzed using a mixed methods approach, including data from observation instruments, literacy skills tests, surveys, and caregiver interviews. Findings from 69 preschoolers and 15 caregivers indicated positive increases in children’s social-emotional skills, appropriate academic development, no significant changes in connections to nature, and caregivers who felt the program positively contributed to readiness. However, it is also clear from this study that additional research is needed on these kinds of preschool programs to determine the specific factors contributing to positive outcomes.

Abstract A111: Summertime fun: Findings from three cohorts of C-STEPS summer research trainees

Abstract Introduction: For the past three summers (2021-2023), a National Cancer Institute-funded R25 research education program has been underway at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, entitled “Cancer Research—Scholarship and Training Experiences in Population Sciences” (C-STEPS). The program engages a diverse population of undergraduate students from across the nation in hands-on, mentored 10-week summer research education and training in cancer control and population science (CCPS). Methods: Using a data-driven methodology, the C-STEPS team has collected quantitative and qualitative data via REDCap surveys to evaluate program aims and student progress and ascertain how students experience the program to improve it for future cohorts. Students who decline admission are provided a one-time survey about the reasons they declined and asked to prioritize factors in their selection of summer research programs. Students enrolled in the program complete a pre- and post-program survey, pre- and post-seminar surveys, and a bi-annual alumni survey. The pre- and post-seminar surveys reflect expected competencies for each of the eight seminars that are part of the curriculum. The alumni survey captures academic accomplishments and career updates since completion of the summer program. Results: We have collected three years of pre/post-program data and pre/post-seminar data. Student knowledge, confidence, and interest in CCPS has steadily increased within each cohort across each of the three time periods: pre-program, immediately post-program, and alumni (1-3 years after the initial research experience). The pre/post seminar surveys indicated that the structure of the seminars inhibited interactions between the presenter and students and warranted change. We have administered the decliner and alumni survey twice each. Data from the decliner survey suggest that students apply to multiple programs each summer and the timeframe for notification to students about their acceptance may need to be shortened to give students more time to consider their C-STEPS offer in relation to other summer opportunities. Data from the alumni survey indicate that students continue to engage in research with their C-STEPS mentor and present the research at their home institution. Conclusion: Efforts to decrease the length of time between when a student applies and when they are notified of their acceptance are at the forefront of the refinement process for the next cohort. The seminars have been restructured to promote more student-led discussions and interactions between presenters and students. The CCPS research experiences and professional networks students develop during the summer have led to new educational and career opportunities. Initial evidence indicates that the success of C-STEPS extends well beyond the immediate one-time immersive research experience. Citation Format: Shoshana Adler Jaffe, Paige A. Lynch, Judith Sheche, Joseph Rodman, Miria Kano, Shiraz I. Mishra. Summertime fun: Findings from three cohorts of C-STEPS summer research trainees [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A111.

More Students Going Into Petroleum Engineering Programs as Research Work Tilts to Alternative Energy

Oil companies are eagerly hiring petroleum engineering graduates, but the steep falloff in petroleum research funding is forcing a shift to alternative energy work. On the plus side, those connected with programs said most seniors have lined up jobs well in advance of graduation and some are getting multiple offers. Companies are competing for a small pool of talent, with 660 seniors expected to graduate this year, down from a peak of 2,615 in 2017, according to the annual SPE survey of colleges with petroleum engineering programs by Lloyd Heinze, professor emeritus at Texas Tech, who predicts that number will drop to 572 in 2025 based on the number of juniors. After that, enrollment looks likely to rise. There has been a 13% increase in the number of freshman and sophomore students, which is attributed to the strong demand for petroleum engineers. “Probably word of mouth is seniors getting jobs, and junior and sophomore internships is a big factor in the rise,” Heinze said. Another plus is that undergraduate enrollment is up at seven of the 10 largest programs surveyed in the US and the Middle East. “Almost everyone is up,” said Mashhad Fahes, an associate professor at The University of Oklahoma (OU), who reports that nearly all those approaching graduation have jobs in hand, often with multiple job offers. Internships were so widely available that OU had no takers for a summer program created to provide an alternative to paid internships a couple years back when those opportunities were scarce. Similar evaluations of the job market were offered by sources from Texas A&M University and The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB). In all cases, the jobs were mostly in oil and gas exploration and production. “They know that if they get a degree from our program, they can easily find a job in the area,” said Ahmed Kamel, an associate professor who is the department coordinator at UTPB. UTPB, which now has more PE students than OU and LSU, draws a large percentage of its students from west Texas who have grown up around the oil business before enrolling, and Kamel said many are working in the industry while in college. In addition to knowing the business, he said they offer another benefit: “Oil and gas companies want people from here who will stay here.” The program, started in 2011 as part of the business school, is now part of UTPB’s College of Engineering offering degrees in mechanical, chemical, and civil engineering. Its growth plan includes a petroleum engineering graduate program in the future, which will require increasing its research work. Kamel said that it currently has the research support it needs for teaching undergrads.

Teaching Nutrient Cycling and Climate Change Concepts Using Excretion Experiments with Common Fish

Many high school students learn about nutrient cycling during biology, environmental science, and agriculture classes. These lessons often focus on soil and plants, and nutrient cycling is usually taught independently from climate change. Scientists know that animals, including fish, can have strong effects on nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) in ecosystems. Additionally, research has shown that nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates of animals increase with water temperatures. We worked with high school students to design and conduct nutrient excretion experiments using common fish (zebrafish) to explore the impact of climate change on nutrient cycling. This allowed students to have hands-on laboratory experience. In 2021, we worked with students participating in a residential summer program in Georgia. Meanwhile, in 2022, students enrolled in the local high school visited the university campus on two occasions to participate in the experiments, and we once again worked with students in Georgia. Students from all three groups showed an increased understanding of the role of animals in nutrient cycling and ways climate change may impact these processes, despite variable results from the excretion experiments. Students also showed increased understanding of science processes and were more likely to feel like part of the science community. We believe that these experiments can be done in high school classrooms to expand students’ understanding of the scientific process, nutrient cycling, and climate change.

Fluency Outcomes of Summer Reading Intervention for Third Graders: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the Context of COVID-19

Third-grade reading proficiency predicts later reading achievement and high school graduation, yet third-graders from historically marginalized groups experience differential learning opportunities and sometimes perform poorly in reading. Similar to the effects of summer learning loss, lost instructional opportunities due to COVID-19 have translated to disproportionate declines in reading skills for low-income, Black, and Latinx students. We analyzed archival reading data for 68 rising third-graders from historically marginalized populations, who read below grade level and participated in summer reading intervention in 2018, 2019, or 2020. Intervention involved evidence-based reading instruction with program elements aligned with high-impact tutoring; however, format (virtual), curriculum, and dosage were modified in 2020 due to COVID-19. We examined differences across years in oral reading fluency words correct per minute (WCPM) and word reading accuracy (WRA) intervention change scores, change scores adjusted for differences in dosage, and post-intervention scores. The 2020 cohort grew less and ended summer performing lower on WCPM and WRA compared to prior years, with 2019 vs. 2020 contrasts reaching statistical significance for WCPM (p = .03). After accounting for differences in dosage across years, no contrasts were statistically significant nor practically meaningful across year nor outcome. This study showed heightened risk via slower growth and lower end-of-summer scores for students receiving SRI in summer 2020, potentially driven by the decreased dosage in 2020. Implications for design of post-COVID summer programming focus on ensuring adequate dosages are achieved, even for programs with elements that otherwise align strongly with recommendations for high-impact tutoring.

Evaluation of the dimensions of the Mawhiba-IAU summer enrichment program

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to examine the most critical dimensions of summer enrichment programs (SEPs) for gifted students. The researchers conducted the study in Saudi Arabia with students from grades nine to 11 at a gifted summer program in a public university. The total number of students was 172 gifted students (62 female and 110 male). The study was guided by two research questions, and a 43-item survey was used to collect the data. The authors used correlation, t-test, and multiple linear regression for data analysis. They found that psycho-social skills, logistics, and science content dimensions were correlated significantly with students’ overall satisfaction in SEPs. The researchers found that nearly 27% of the variance was attributed to the psycho-social skills program dimension, while the logistics dimension accounted for 24%; the science content dimension accounted for 21% of students’ satisfaction. The researchers found that, for male students, the logistics dimension was the highest contributing dimension to satisfaction, while the science dimension was the highest for female students. No significant differences were found between the gender on overall satisfaction and the psycho-social skills dimension. The authors encourage other researchers to examine these dimensions with students in different settings and types of gifted programs.

Creating a Pathway to Health-Care Professions for Historically Marginalized Students.

Developing a diverse talent pool starting at the high-school level, while students are making future education and career decisions, should be a national priority, given the need to build a diverse health-care workforce. This article describes a 6-week immersive simulation-based summer program to introduce 20 junior high-school students (13-15 years old) to the range of health professions. Because precollege students typically receive limited exposure to clinical settings, high-fidelity simulation is an excellent surrogate for providing realistic experiences in health care. Students heard lectures on health careers, earned basic life support certification, learned to perform basic vital signs measurement, practiced the management of acute asthma, and received an introduction to the daily activities in the life of a nurse and an anesthesiologist. They researched, developed, and presented public service announcement videos about a health-care issue affecting their community. Participants reported being excited about health careers. Future programs will focus on longitudinal support and mentoring, essential for mitigating the higher rates of attrition from health professions among minoritized individuals.

Patterns of participation in summer programming among United States’ elementary children from low-income urban households: Results from the project SWEAT study

Food insecurity increases among marginalized children during the summer when school is out of session. Summer programming that offers access to healthy meals and snacks may reduce the risk. There is a national call in the US for more research to assure equitable access to summer programming. The objective of this prospective observational study was to characterize patterns of participation in summer programming among elementary children from low-income urban neighborhoods of metropolitan[Blinded]. Summer programming was broadly defined (e.g., church, school, recreation center, community center). Caregivers(n = 100) received weekly text messages via TextIt during the summer (Jun-Aug 2017). They were asked: “How many days this week did [ChildName] attend a summer program? Please respond with a number from 0 to 5, where 0 – no days, 2 – 2 days, etc.” Weekly counts were summed.Stepwise logistic and linear regression models were conducted to examine differences in patterns of attendance according to key sociodemographic characteristics. Mean age was 7.03 ± 0.23. 52 % identified as female, 70 % were low-income, and 80.0 % identified as Black. 51 % attended summer programming at least once; 49 % never attended. Those who attended at least once vs. not at all were more likely to be male(p < 0.01); 62.75 % males vs. 37.25 % females attended summer programming at least once, whereas 67.35 % females compared to 32.65 % males never attended.Overall mean attendance was 10.40 ± 1.43 days(out of 50). Mean + SE attendance was lower for females (7.52 + 1.76) vs. males (13.52 + 2.21)(p < 0.05), and non-Black (4.30 + 1.97) vs. Black (11.93 + 1.67)(p = 0.01) children. Future research is needed to understand barriers to participation in summer programming.

Exploring non-dominant youths’ engineering identity through productive struggle in a making summer program

Exploring non-dominant youths’ engineering identity through productive struggle in a making summer program

Effects of a Summer Tutoring Program on Reading Achievement in Grades K-5

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an 18-day summer tutoring program in which graduate student tutors delivered 15 minutes of differentiated reading instruction (DRI) and a 30-minute interactive read-aloud (IRA) lesson each day. Students in grades K-5 (N = 179) attending a summer program at one urban elementary school completed a lesson-specific combination of pretest and posttest measures of letter-sound knowledge, decoding skills, oral reading fluency, and academic reading attitudes. Students were assigned to groups targeting phonemic awareness and word recognition (PAWR), word recognition and fluency (WRAF), fluency and comprehension (FAC), or vocabulary and comprehension (VAC) based on skill profiles. Paired-samples statistical tests were used to analyze pretest and posttest measures, and tutors were observed with a checklist to document implementation fidelity. Results indicated significant gains on specific subskill mastery measures of letter-sound knowledge for students in PAWR groups and decoding skills for students in PAWR and WRAF groups. Results were not significant for a curriculum-based measure of oral reading fluency for students in FAC groups and were significantly negative for students in VAC groups. There were no significant differences in gains based on instructional group size. There was no evidence of summer learning loss on academic reading attitudes. Tutors were able to implement DRI and IRA lessons with acceptable fidelity. These findings suggest that a summer tutoring program delivered by graduate students can improve targeted reading skills without negatively impacting reading attitudes.

Educating the next generation of cancer researchers: Evaluation of a cancer research partnership training program.

African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Hispanic (or Latinx), Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander groups are underrepresented in the biomedical workforce, which is one of the barriers to addressing cancer disparities among minority populations. The creation of a more inclusive biomedical workforce dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer health disparities requires structured, mentored research and cancer-related research exposure during the earlier stages of training. The Summer Cancer Research Institute (SCRI) is a multicomponent 8-week intensive summer program funded under the Partnership between a Minority Serving Institute and a National Institutes of Health-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this survey study, we found that students who participated in the SCRI Program reported greater knowledge and interest in pursuing careers in cancer-related fields than their counterparts who did not participate in SCRI. Successes, challenges, and solutions in providing training in cancer and cancer health disparities research to improve diversity in the biomedical fields were also discussed.

Marcia Gentry as Influencer: Leader, Scholar, Colleague, Friend

ABSTRACT In this article, I describe a few personal favorite contributions of Dr. Marcia Gentry, one of the most successful graduates from our doctoral program at the University of Connecticut, as well as a dear friend and collaborator. Marcia focused her life’s work on the need to serve underserved and often-neglected populations in our field and implemented programs for these students, focusing on positive change in schools and on reservations. She also developed innovative identification and programming practices to be used in schools as well as summer programs. Marcia’s personalized boots-on-the-ground activities, research, and advocacy for numerous Native American students across the country helped develop gifts and talents in diverse groups. Her success in this area resulted in recent years in the application of the same know-how to leadership and change strategies with other diverse groups. Marcia’s life's work earned her a place among the top leaders in our field and in this special issue, we celebrate her work and life.

Adapting Legal Research for a First-Generation Audience

One segment of our diverse law school population are students who are the first in their family to attend college, and by extension, law school. What can we as librarians do to advance a more inclusive classroom experience for our first-generation students? Washburn University, as part of a Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant, provides a summer program for faculty to enhance inclusive pedagogy and curriculum related to firstgeneration students. The author was a part of the program in 2022, and this paper will address the redesign of a legal research course based on the training from the program. The discussion will include an overview of the University provided training for the redesign, the concepts utilized in the class reboot geared toward fostering inclusion for first-generation students, and an extensive analysis of the final product.

Motivational Profiles of High Achievers in Mathematics: Relations with Metacognitive Processes and Achievement Emotions

The current study aimed to explore alternative motivational profiles of high achievers in Mathematics, within the framework of the Situated Expectancy-Value Theory. Furthermore, it aimed to examine the profiles’ potential differences in relation to self-reported metacognitive processes, such as metacognitive awareness and experiences, and achievement emotions related to Mathematics. A comprehensive evaluation in Mathematics was conducted on a total of 492 ninth-graders, including students from regular junior high schools, experimental junior high schools, and an academically advanced summer program. The assessment involved a battery of school-type mathematical tasks, resulting in the identification of 141 high achievers. Cluster analysis, based on students’ expectancies for success, subjective value, and perceived cost in relation to Mathematics, revealed five motivational profiles labeled as follows: Cluster 1. Higher Motivation, Cluster 2: Higher Expectancies, Value, and Cost, Cluster 3: Lower Expectancies, Cluster 4: Lower Value, and Cluster 5: Lower Motivation. Differences were found among the five profiles in terms of students’ reported metacognitive awareness and their emotions of enjoyment, pride, anxiety, shame, and boredom toward Mathematics. Students with the Higher Motivation profile appeared to be the most adaptive across all of the examined variables, while students with the Lower Motivation profile reported less favorable levels of motivational and affective variables than most others. However, high achievers did not differ significantly regarding their metacognitive accuracy. Examination of the gender distribution within the clusters did not reveal any differences in gender representation.

Improving Behavior in an Alternative High School Summer Program Using Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams: A Pilot Study

Improving Behavior in an Alternative High School Summer Program Using Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams: A Pilot Study

Preparing for College and Graduate School

We know of no single programs that prepare students both for success in college and entry to graduate school. Here we will describe a 5- week summer program that attempts to do that.This 5- week summer program helps students with Math, Writing and gives them access to information on graduate schools and research as a career. We recruit primarily underrepresented or economically disadvantaged (Pell eligible) entering freshmen science students (likely science majors) using a rigorous application form that includes high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and an essay. For success in improving academic skills, motivation is key. That’s why we carefully and rigorously evaluate all candidates for this program. And that’s why we can claim some success.For science majors, Math is critical. So let’s begin with describing our Math program, which runs 3 days a week, for 5 weeks, all day, usually Mon, Tues and Fri.

Effect of High School Math skills on the Types of Professions

In the 21st century, the importance of STEM professions has increased. Simultaneously, the interest to acquire these STEM professions has also increased among high school students. For high school students desiring to acquire a STEM profession, this paper attempts to find the relationship between high school math skills and the likelihood of acquiring a STEM profession in the future. Furthermore, this paper attempts to explain the effect that high school math skill has on average wages which are indicated in other related papers. This paper collected secondary sources from a renowned math summer program for high school students which contained tracked data of past alumni. After analyzing 121 alumni data, it was clear that high school students who were skilled at math indeed had a higher chance of acquiring STEM professions such as engineering and computer science. However, STEM jobs related to science did not have high percentages. This indicated that high school math proficiency had a profound effect on the probability of acquiring heavily math integrated professions whereas this was not the case for STEM professions requiring a mix of other STEM knowledge besides math. In addition, the high percentage of computer science and engineering jobs explained how proficient high school math skills led to high average salaries as these are one of the highest paying jobs. Overall, it is clear after reviewing the data that although proficiency in high school math skill does not necessarily lead to higher probability of acquiring all types of STEM jobs, it still has a noticeable impact on the probability of acquiring a math-heavy STEM profession and is likely to be one of the major elements in determining the future salaries.

PROTOCOL: Impact of summer programmes on the outcomes of disadvantaged or at risk young people: A systematic review.

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows: based on the findings of the initial literature review regarding the types of summer programmes used to support disadvantaged or at risk young people, the outcomes they aim to affect and the goals of the funding organisations and research team, this review will seek to answer the following research questions: (1) to what extent does participation in summer employment programmes improve outcomes for disadvantaged or at risk young people, (2) to what extent does participation in summer educational programmes improve outcomes for disadvantaged or at risk young people, and (3) to what extent do the impacts of summer programmes vary based on the study, participant and intervention characteristics including the racial and ethnic make-up of participants?