Journal of STEM outreach最新文献

The objective of this study was to report on teachers' perceptions of using health disparities content to engage high school students in urban communities over the course of a summer health disparities professional development (PD) program. Teachers participated in a three-week, 80-hour summer PD, where they received content on health disparities, met with health disparities researchers, and developed project-based learning units focused on health disparities. To under-stand teachers' perceptions of integrating health disparities content in the classroom, thematic coding was used to analyze data from focus groups collected before and after summer PD for three cohorts of high school teachers in two urban school districts (2016-2018, N=22 teachers). Findings were that: 1) Teachers showed awareness of the social challenges students face, even prior to starting a summer PD on health disparities; 2) Teachers appreciated the role of community engagement and student activism as a solution to health disparities and felt that they would be able to engage students with this material; 3) Teachers needed resources, mostly in the form of community connections, to fully integrate health disparities lessons, with community engagement infused throughout. Findings suggest that teachers are prepared to integrate information about community context in their classes and could be furthered empowered to teach about health disparities with the right community connections and engagement infrastructure.

Parental involvement increases K-12 student interest in STEM careers; however, when parents lack confidence in STEM content, or language and cultural barriers exist, parental engagement decreases. The Teacher Enrichment Initiatives (TEI) collects annual teacher feedback regarding the level of parental involvement with students during science nights, which laid the foundation for teachers to develop a science night training. Using qualitative methods, this single-case study follows elementary teachers who participated in the TEI science night training as they implement a Science Night program at a majority-minority elementary school. Data were gathered by TEI staff during the inaugural and third year of the Science Night program showing an increase in attendance from 700 (2016) to 800 (2018) and an increase in parental engagement with their student in STEM-related activities from 46% (2016) to 62% (2018). The data and follow-up summary were used by the case study school teachers to write and secure grants to support an annual Science Night program. This case study suggests Science Nights can be a mechanism to promote parental engagement with their student in hands-on STEM activities. Further, this case study suggests teacher feedback and inclusion in developing a science night model is central to successful implementation of a science night program.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a high school biology curriculum focused on promoting nutrition literacy skills.

Design: High school students participated in a six-week biology curriculum focused on the three subdomains of nutrition literacy: functional use of factual knowledge (FNL); interactive skills in seeking out information (INL); critical interpretation and analysis (CNL). We used a mixed-methods, change-over-time model that leverages longitudinal aspects of instructor practice and students' development. Pre- and posttest measures of FNL, INL and CNL were administered. Students were also given a retrospective pre-post online survey to measure interactive nutrition literacy and self-efficacy towards learning about nutrition topics.

Participants: A total of 111 high school 11th and 12th grade students from four sections of a Biology II course participated.

Results: Students' overall NL scores improved (P<0.0001) and they also showed gains in each subdomain (FNL, INL and CNL, P<0.0001). Self-efficacy toward learning about nutrition also increased (P<0.0001). Students reported increased communication about the topics with family and peers who were neither classmates or friends (P<0.0001).

Conclusions: Participation improved nutrition literacy in each of the subdomains, as well as self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was strongly related to increased communication.

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have made a compelling call to action not only to strengthen the pipeline of available STEM-trained talent, but in addition to foster students who are members of populations currently under-represented in science. Furthermore, the scientific community must not only increase the accessibility of STEM-related education, but also implement and test evidence-based practices. Presented here, we detail the proceedings of a hands-on, science-focused informal learning opportunity aimed at educating an underrepresented population in cancer biology. Fifteen undergraduate and graduate student volunteer instructors from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center engaged with 89 high school students, mostly Native American, in an informal learning event called "Cancer Biology and You Day." Throughout the event, students completed two independent lessons focusing on breast cancer and skin cancer and demonstrated strong learning gains associated with the lessons as assessed by KWL charts. Exit surveys of the students indicated high levels of satisfaction with the event, and positive attitudes associated with considering a career in science/research were evident in survey responses. Overall, we report the event as a success and outline how similar experiences may be achieved.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) represent distinctive learning environments that are organized around a well-articulated design framework aimed at broadening student participation in scientific research. Among the published descriptions of CURE models that are currently available in the education research literature, the vast majority have been implemented in four-year institutions of higher learning with undergraduate students. In this programmatic article, we utilize the CURE design framework to characterize a highly structured instructional intervention that engages upper-level high school students in basic research that bridges comparative functional genomics and developmental neuroscience. Our goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of using the CURE framework as a uniform reference point for other informal science programs aimed at making life science research accessible to younger learners. We conclude by discussing preliminary data on the program's effects on students' self-efficacy for conducting scientific research, collaborative abilities, and understanding of how scientific knowledge is constructed.

It is a well-documented fact that women and minorities are currently underrepresented in STEM higher education degree programs and careers. As an outreach measure to these populations, we established the Hexacago Health Academy (HHA), an ongoing summer program. Structured as an informal learning environment with a strong youth initiated mentoring component, HHA uses game-based learning as both a means of health education and stimulating interest in careers in medicine among adolescents from underrepresented minority populations. In this article, we describe the 2015 session of the Hexacago Health Academy, which focused on the topic of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The overall structure of HHA, with its dual focus on game design and enabling youth interaction with science and health professionals, is discussed. Qualitative data from the 24 youths that participated in the 2015 summer session was collected. Results indicated that the initial session of HHA succeeded in its goals of developing critical thinking skills among participants, encouraging teamwork, broadening understanding of the health sciences, and encouraging risk-taking in education. The overall potential efficacy of informal learning environments that use game design as a core component to stimulate interest in STEM fields is discussed.

Some STEM outreach programs connect students to real-world problems and challenge them to work towards solutions. Research shows one-third of children between ages 5-17 in the U.S. are overweight. Socioeconomic status, race, and parental educational attainment all influence this issue as well as living in a rural or urban area. A rural high school STEM outreach program used a social media curriculum focused on healthy lifestyles and measured impact on the health of adolescents from these backgrounds. Health screenings and college mentors were provided to 134 adolescents from 26 counties in WV. The social media intervention lasted seven months with participants using near-peer and mentor support to achieve personal health goals set at the initial health screening. The results of pre- and post-intervention health screenings were compared for any changes in health measures by student goal and participation. BMI decreased significantly in the group of participants who selected a weight loss goal, while those choosing to improve their nutrition significantly increased healthy cholesterol levels. A positive impact was seen on adolescent health outcomes through linking a high school STEM outreach program with a higher education institution to deliver STEM enrichment curriculum through social media.

Teaching the Genome Generation (TtGG) is a teacher professional development program and set of high school biology lessons that support interwoven classroom instruction of molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and bioethics. Participating teachers from across New England implement the modular elements of program at a high rate in a variety of biology classrooms. Evaluation data collected over three academic years (2014/15 to 2016/17) indicate that TtGG has increased teachers' abilities to integrate complex concepts of genomics and bioethics into their high school classes.