Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Biology Department, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2019 Dec 1;59(6):1497-1508. doi: 10.1093/icb/icz140.
Ethnically and gender diverse groups are more efficient, creative, and productive than homogeneous groups, yet women and minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. One contributor is unequal access to high-quality STEM education based on socioeconomic status and race, which we may be able to address through inquiry-based out-of-school time programs. Here we describe a 6-month after-school program that allows an underrepresented community of middle school students to conduct original scientific research that they present at a conference each year. Through qualitative assessments and interviews, we found a trend for increased interest in STEM careers and self-efficacy in participants. Self-efficacy, or belief in one's ability to succeed, predicts performance and persistence in STEM. Both self-efficacy and interest in STEM careers increased after students presented their research at a conference, highlighting the unexplored importance of dissemination for shaping self-efficacy in K-12 students. Small after-school programs like ours can be easily accomplished as broader impacts by scientists, and well-designed programs have the potential to positively affect change by increasing access and participation in STEM for diverse students.
种族和性别多样化的群体比同质化的群体更高效、更有创造力、更有生产力，但女性和少数族裔在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的劳动力中代表性不足。一个原因是，基于社会经济地位和种族的不平等获得高质量的 STEM 教育，我们也许可以通过基于探究的课外时间项目来解决这个问题。在这里，我们描述了一个为期 6 个月的课后项目，该项目允许代表性不足的中学生群体进行原创的科学研究，并在每年的会议上展示。通过定性评估和访谈，我们发现参与者对 STEM 职业的兴趣和自我效能感呈上升趋势。自我效能感，即对自己成功能力的信念，预测着 STEM 中的表现和坚持。在学生们在会议上展示他们的研究之后，自我效能感和对 STEM 职业的兴趣都有所增加，这突出了传播对于塑造 K-12 学生自我效能感的重要性，这一点尚未得到探索。像我们这样的小型课外项目可以很容易地被科学家们作为更广泛的影响来完成，而且设计良好的项目有可能通过增加不同学生对 STEM 的参与和机会，积极地影响变革。
