Dr. Saundra Wever Frerichs Why we Need to Help Youth Develop a STEM Identity @SaundraFrerichs sfrerichs3@unl.edu www.linkedin.com/in/SaundraFrerichs

Favorite Toys Favorite Toys of Childhood Around the World These images are from an article I loved in Slate Magazine in 2014. It features photographs by Gabriele Galimberti of kids from around the world showing off their favorite toys. These images highlight differences in the experience of childhood in first world and developing countries, and differences between the experiences of girls and boys. Think about when you were a child. What were your favorite toys? How did you like to spend your time? Current research shows that informal, or out of school experiences, may be critical in understanding how people succeed in STEM careers. Though in-school experiences for boys and girls have become more similar, out of school experiences are still sharply different. Research suggests that providing out-of-school experiences for both boys and girls with science, engineering and mathematics at an early age and continuing through middle school may reduce the numbers of girls self-selecting out of science-related careers. In these experiences, it is important to support young people in developing a STEM identity. We want them to think of themselves as someone who does math, who contributes to science, or who solves engineering challenges – and we need to see this as different from being someone who learns about science or math. Developing identity is fundamentally about being part of the community, rather than on the outside.

Developing Identity Developing Identity Emphasis on developing identity rather than academic outcomes may seem a bit startling, but research among students who graduated from a 4-year college or university, found that those who expected as eighth-graders to have a science related career at 30 were nearly twice as likely (1.9 times) to earn a life science degree than those who did not, and they were three and a half times (3.4) more likely to earn a degree in physical science and engineering. The study also examined the impact of mathematics achievement. Interestingly, the researchers concluded that though mathematics achievement has a great impact on whether students complete a bachelor’s degree, the impact of career expectations was more crucial both in deciding to pursue a science-related degree, or in choosing a non-science degree – even students with high mathematics achievement were unlikely to choose a degree in physical science or engineering if in eighth grade they did not expect to have a science–related career. Seeing oneself as a scientist impacts success in high school and in college. The mechanism may be that identity builds confidence, and that confidence is reflected in higher achievement. Or, it may be that a STEM identity provides additional motivation to work hard when a science class gets difficult.

Upper Elementary and Middle school are Critical Years Similarly, other researchers have identified the upper elementary and middle school years as a crucial period for impacting attitudes toward science. In fourth grade, about half of students, both boys and girls, report that they enjoy science. This drops significantly by eighth grade where less than 40% of students report enjoying science. At this point differences between gender, race and ethnic groups also begin to emerge.

Identity Development Afterschool Afterschool programs are ideal environments for reaching diverse audiences and youth who are underrepresented in STEM and helping them develop a STEM identity. This happens when youth are actually contributing to STEM. One strategy we have found to be effective at Click2Science is to engage youth in the real practices of science and engineering. Like a scientist, youth can ask, and answer, questions that are really interesting to them – like ‘Why is the tree on our playground dying, but the one next to it is not?’.

STEM Experiences Develop Identity The scientific and engineering practices that are emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards fit well into out-of-school programs. Some of these are: Asking questions (in science) and defining problems (in engineering); Developing and using models or prototypes; Planning and carrying out investigations; Constructing explanations and designing solutions. You won’t use all of these practices in every activity, but any activity that is designed to develop a STEM identity should provide youth with the opportunity to use at least one of the practices of science or engineering.

Egg Drop Challenge Now, let’s look at one of my favorite activities – the Egg Drop Challenge. Raise your hand if you have you ever done this activity. How many of you think it would involve asking questions or defining problems? It certainly could – an Egg Drop lends itself to either a science inquiry approach or an engineering design challenge. It provides many opportunities to use the practices of science and engineering – but the facilitator needs to be prepared to decide how to structure the activity and which practices to focus on.

Resources from Click2Science Resources from Click2SciencePD Finally, I want to share some resources with you that can help you support youth in developing a STEM identity. The Click2Science web site features four video learning modules on developing a STEM identity, as well as modules on many other topics. It features activities like the Egg Drop Challenge, that help facilitators practice a skill as they work with youth, and training resources for out-of-school programs. Our team works with researchers to help them develop outreach activities from their own work that engage youth in STEM. We provide training and support for STEM outreach and communicating science to out-of-school audiences.

Growing STEM Outreach Our goal is to help youth grow as future scientists, engineers and mathematicians – and to help researchers broaden the impact of their work. We believe you are in the best place to reach out to these audiences and develop our future generation of researchers and problem solvers.

Connect with us @SaundraFrerichs sfrerichs3@unl.edu Thank You! Connect with us @SaundraFrerichs sfrerichs3@unl.edu www.linkedin.com/in/SaundraFrerichs click2sciencepd.org click2sciencepd@unl.edu @Click2Science Connect with Click2Science Please visit our web site at Click2SciencePD.org and connect with us, especially if you’d like more information about the research I’ve shared today.