Common Measures

NSF Awards: 1811487

Presented in: 2021 (see original presentation & discussion)

Grade Level: Informal / multi-age

The most recent synthesis of research on learning confirms that learning is a complex cultural process that occurs across both time and setting (NASEM, 2018). The time spent outside of the school classroom – more than 80% of a school-aged person’s waking hours – has been shown to be pivotal in developing interests, identities, and capacities to engage with ideas and subject matter they may also encounter in school, including STEM (Banks, 2006; National Research Council, 2006; OSTP, 2018).

Indeed, scores of studies have demonstrated the importance of family members, role models, and out-of-school time experiences for developing young people’s awareness and commitment to pursuing particular STEM learning pathways (Bell et al., 2015; Falk et al., 2017; Halim et al., 2018; National Research Council, 2009, 2015). Out-of-school time (OST) experiences may include structured afterschool, weekend, and summer time programs; visits to designed informal learning environments such as nature centers, museums, and libraries; as well as everyday experiences, conversations, and observations that make up much of a young person’s daily life.  Altogether, these out-of-school time STEM experiences have been documented to produce learning outcomes such as:

• Dispositions related to choosing to do STEM (e.g., attitudes, interest, curiosity, motivation, identity, and self-efficacy); 
• Disciplinary capacity to productively engage in STEM (e.g., understanding the nature of STEM fields, skills, and concepts); 
• Social capital in STEM (e.g., role models, mentors, and peer networks); and
• Commitment to and pursuit of STEM learning pathways (e.g., career awareness, STEM course and program selection)

This video is focused on two lines of argument in the literature that pertain to the value and potential of student learning outcomes as they relate to OST STEM program quality.  The first focuses on issues of equity in STEM learning and the second pertains to ecological perspectives on STEM learning.