Hello, Connie,

We measured science identity by doing qualitative interviews with the students and we classified it as low, moderate, and high science identity based on the response. We did interviews prior to the club starting then again at the end. Based on the qualitative interviews, we have seen an increase in the students' science identities. 

Hi Connie,

Thanks for your comment! Our graduate students are great support for the classroom teachers as well as important near-peer mentors/role models for the youth participants. I'll add a bit to Elizabeth's reply... we used a three-part conceptual model for identity based on the work of Carlone and Johnson (2007). As we thematically analyzed the interviews, we looked for aspects of performance, competence, and recognition related to their science experiences.

Thanks for this info on how you measured science identity. 

I think "blurring the boundaries" is an essential component of education and is what is needed in order to increase participation in STEM.  We attempted to have outside of classroom academic experiences as one of our key components in our project and were able to see some of the positive impacts of this.  There is still the issue of making connections between what is "covered" in a class vs. what happens in "doing science".  (Daniel's comment about students excited about Science club, but had failed science class - what can this teach us is something to think about.)

Hi, Ann!

I agree that blurring the boundaries is important. We try our best to expose students to as much technology and guest speakers as possible to provide them with opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise get in most cases to complement their learning that takes place in the regular science classroom during the school day. It seems that students learn mainly from books during the day and lack opportunities to apply their skills in real-life, talk to scientists in the field, and do research they are leading. So, we try to provide them with those opportunities. 

I also agree that we can definitely learn a lot from the students, especially the students that are excited for science club, but failed a science class.We do not have exact data on that as we are not collecting their grades but from experience working with students that have struggled in school, I believe the main points are that the science club is not for a grade and is more welcoming for students to explore and try things they would otherwise be reluctant to do. I also think that with the projects being more student-led, that helps as they are more interested and engaged when they have input into what they are doing. 

Hey Daniel, great points! Yeah it would be interesting to see if we could translate that after school program energy into the everyday curriculum. And as for the project ideas, we guide the students in a general direction (air quality, noise pollution, etc.) and help them to come up with a question that answers something they are curious about in that field. 

Hi, Sarah! 

We definitely think the science club is a more welcoming environment for the students. The science club does more hands-on learning than the regular science classes during the school day that tends to be more book work. The science club is also more student led with student input to allow them to pose their own questions to work on with structure and support. The regular science classes they get during the school day tends to be more state-mandated curriculum that does not allow for much student input. Our curriculum does align to science standards, but has more flexibility for student input. 

Through research, we have observed students becoming more interested in science and think more about pursuing a career in STEM. We hope that through the program that students will become more knowledgeable about their environment, the role they play in their environment, how their actions impact the environment, and ways they can help their environment. And ultimately, a future career in environmental science. 

Hi Russanne, thanks for the comment!

Yes, it's so great when students get to see every step of the process. Many of them come in overwhelmed (reasonably so) at the prospect of conducting a research project from start to finish...I remember feeling the same way the first time I did it! But through this process they learn that it all happens in stages, not all at once. Doing one little bit at a time is much less intimidating than thinking about the project as a whole, and I think that realization helps the students warm up to science.

As for past projects, there have been some on soil pollution and noise pollution as well. Once we help them choose a topic, we start helping them take the steps to get the project going, like background research and data collection. As far as drones, students have used drone imagery in past projects to visualize an area being impacted by the subject in question (soil pollution, air quality, etc.) 

Thanks!

Hello, Chanda!

We are glad you're here! Thank you for being a teacher and getting students interested in science! 

I will definitely need to read the book by Dr. Emdin. I do not think we have thought about writing a book on the strategies yet, but that is something we should consider. I am sure the strategies used could be embedded into daily STEM instruction to increase student engagement. I will be sure to suggest that.