STEM clubs, often located in extracurricular settings, are designed to promote engagement and enjoyment of STEM-related topics and concepts. Given the current policy landscape, a closer examination of STEM clubs is warranted. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges presented by these programs by drawing on interviews with nine STEM…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the impact of informal STEM education on underrepresented middle school girls. The study took place within the context of the EUREKA! summer program, a collaboration between Drexel University's Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering and Girls Inc. of Philadelphia and…

This study investigated how a STEM outreach program, focused on promoting adolescent girls' interests in STEM, augmented parents' and teachers' (adults) perceptions of doxa (socialization that enhances or stymies girls' STEM interests) after the event, at home and school, respectively. To this end, we provided participating adults with in-event…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a machine learning (ML) integrated science curriculum implemented within the Science Research Mentorship Program (SRMP) for high school youth at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) over 2 years. The 4-week curriculum focused on ML knowledge gain, skill development, and self-efficacy, particularly…

In this study, we bring the concepts of sociopolitical development and intersectionality into conversation to examine how girls of color can develop a sense of agency that is grounded in an understanding of how race and gender impact their desired personal and STEM academic trajectories. Using a three-stage intersectional sociopolitical…

Despite the success of informal STEM programs, one ongoing challenge is sustaining learners' interest beyond the programs' initial impact (Morris et al., 2019). Although some longitudinal studies suggest that such programs can have a lasting impact on girls in STEM (e.g., McCreedy & Dierking, 2013), further research is needed to identify the…

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 paper explores the role of school gardens in nurturing secondary students' STEM skills and 21st century skills/global competencies. Predominantly, the affordances of garden-based learning are highlighted in fostering students' biodiversity and sustainability consciousness. The positive impact of school gardens as an informal learning setting…

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) clubs are gaining momentum as a means for engaging students in STEM-related activities. Despite this growth, there have been limited attempts to examine the conditions that inform practice in these informal educational spaces. This paper addresses that gap through a comprehensive literature…

The underrepresentation of Black women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a long-standing issue. According to the National Science Foundation (2019), Black women hold less than 10% of STEM degrees, while only 2% work in STEM fields. These disparities can be attributed to structural inequities related to the STEM…

An understanding of science concepts is important for living in modern society. Supporting adults' science learning can be particularly challenging because most adults no longer attend formal educational institutions where access and opportunities are facilitated by teachers and school-sponsored programs. Biological field stations (BFSs) are a…

There are a growing number of education programs in science and STEM education with the aim of improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students who have long been underrepresented in current education systems. The aim of this study is to systematically review empirical research from 2011 to 2020 that reported programs to support Indigenous…

The informal learning environment of the Museum of Science Fiction's "Escape Velocity" event offers an integration of science and science fiction in a variety of activities, talks, events, exhibits, and panels to further attendees' interest. This study examined the efficacy of this event as a learning experience through a survey of…

It is through the collective work of museum educators that an organization grows its social capital in its local community and beyond its physical footprint. Given the significant contributions of museum educators to an institution's outcomes, we argue for a shift in mindset on investing in their growth and development. We share our reasoning for…

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore Malaysian students' views on an out-of-school time STEM programme that was organised at the national level. Methods: A Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to the student participants to obtain views and feedback on five aspects of the out-of-school time STEM programme in terms of their learning…