It is important that teens are exposed to STEM education both through formal and informal learning opportunities. STEM cafés are an instance of the latter. Within an informal setting, teen science cafés can significantly enhance teens' view of the importance of science in their lives, positively influencing teens' understanding of science in the…

This mixed-methods study examined how ten- to twelve-year-old children experienced and made sense of their growing climate change awareness through an after-school program that used participatory methods to facilitate children's informed climate change action. The fifteen-week program combined hands-on educational activities with digital…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate students' perceptions of their personal and social responsibility skills during and following an eight-week physical activity (PA) afterschool program (ASP) focused on social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies. Specifically, student knowledge of SEL competencies and general PA attitudes…

What affect does female participation in the Training Future Scientist (TFS) program based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Maslow's Hierarchies of Needs have on achievement levels in science and their attitude toward science and interest in science-based careers? The theoretical framework for this study was developed through a…

Purpose: Centered on the framework of global citizenship education (GCED), an after-school music program was developed for middle school students in Korea. The program aims to introduce multicultural topics to improve intercultural understanding and promote multicultural sensitivity for community relations development in response to rapid…

Young children's social and emotional skills (SE skills) are highly predictive of the ease with which they transition to kindergarten as well as their success in the K-12 school system and in life after graduation (Belfield et al., 2015; Blair, 2002; Denham, 2006; Denham et al., 2014; Graziano et al., 2007; Jones et al., 2017; Moffitt et al.,…

Background: American Indian communities in the United States experience considerable health inequities, including increased exposure to environmental contaminants. Consequently, community members of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation identified the lack of water-related environmental knowledge among children as an area of concern. Aim: The purpose of…

In this article we describe the development, implementation, and some of the early impacts of Nurture thru Nature (NtN), an American after-school and summer program designed to introduce elementary school students in disadvantaged, urban public schools to natural science and environmental education. The program, which began operations in 2010 as a…

This paper presents results from the evaluation of the Nurture thru Nature (NtN) programme, a natural science and environmental education intervention designed to help elementary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds increase their knowledge of science and strengthen overall academic performance. Using an experimental design the pilot NtN…

The purpose of this action research study was to develop a rubric that identified levels of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons through agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) lessons that were developed and implemented in afterschool programs by preservice informal educators. The research study…

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) Ready to Learn project, "Hero Elementary," has an emphasis on reaching Latino communities and supporting the needs of children with disabilities. The project embeds the expectations of kindergarten to 2nd grade science standards into a series of…

Social networking sites (SNSs) are popular technologies used frequently among youth for recreational purposes. Increasing attention has been paid to the use of SNSs in educational settings as a way to engage youth interest and encourage academically productive discussion. Potential affordances of using SNSs for education include knowledge…

This explanatory mixed methods study investigates the experiences of approximately 280 rural, underrepresented middle school student members of STEM Career Clubs over 3 semesters (19 meetings). Data sources included surveys about STEM interests and career intentions (STEM-CIS), STEM club perceptions, and content questions. A subset of 101 students…

This study investigated the influence of strategy training instruction and an extrinsic incentive on American fourth- and fifth-grade students' (N = 35) performance, confidence in performance, and calibration accuracy. Using an experimental design, children were randomized to either an experimental group (strategy training and an extrinsic…

TechXcite is an engineering-focused, discovery-based after-school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program. The free curriculum is downloadable from http://techxcite.pratt.duke.edu/ and is comprised of eight Modules, each with four to five 45-minute activities that exercise the science and math learned in school by using…