Impacts of the St. Jude STEM Club on STEM Identity, STEM Engagement, and 21st Century Skills: Comparing an In-Person and Virtual Implementation
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Afterschool science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs are often used as a tool to promote equity in science. The St. Jude STEM Club (SJSC) ran for two years before the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shift to virtual instruction. As a result, the STEM Club also shifted to virtual programming. In this study we compare in-person and virtual programming of the same afterschool STEM club on measures of STEM identity, STEM engagement, and 21st Century Skills (i.e., critical thinking, perseverance, and relationships with adults and peers) among students historically excluded from STEM. On the last day of the club, participants in both cohorts completed a retrospective self-change survey. Statistical analysis revealed that participants in the virtual STEM club showed significantly less growth in STEM engagement, and the following the 21st century skills: critical thinking, perseverance, and relationships with adults and peers compared to in-person participants. Changes in STEM identity were not significant when comparing virtual to in-person formats. Yet, analysis showed significantly greater growth for all measures except for relationship with peers and STEM engagement when compared to pre-pandemic national normative data which includes in-person, virtual, and hybrid programs. While virtual programming can increase STEM learning opportunities for youth from racialized groups historically excluded from STEM, there are still drawbacks that should be considered, such as high attrition rates and challenges in STEM engagement and peer relationship development on a virtual platform.
Source: The Journal of STEM Outreach
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4396571794