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Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Category

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Education

Received

December 10, 2020

Accepted

January 18, 2021

Published

February 26, 2021

Authors

Emily Carter (EC)¹* and Tina Vo (TV)²

Author Affiliations

¹School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

²Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.

Corresponding Author

*Emily Carter, cartee3@unlv.nevada.edu

Corresponding Author ORCID iD

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2091-0621

Author Contributions

EC: Conducted a literature search and review, fully drafted the manuscript, and made significant revisions and edits to the manuscript to be published

TV: Substantially contributed intellectually to the review design, provided edits to the manuscript, and reviewed the manuscript to be published

Data Availability Statement

The authors of this article confirm that all included literature review information is fully available without restrictions.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist.

Ethical Considerations

Given this is a project-based literature review, based on an ongoing project by a university affiliated organization, no IRB was needed. No data is presented in this paper which has been derived from the participants and all program elements are publicly shared.

Funding

This manuscript was made possible by the UNLV Office of Undergraduate Research Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to Emily Carter (https://www.unlv.edu/our/funding/surf).

Abstract

Research specifically targeted at youth participation in STEM highlights the importance of community engagements outside of school to bolster interest in STEM. Representation of women in STEM and encouragement of girls’ participation and interest in STEM fields parallels the importance of designing and implementing curriculums that enhance middle school-aged girls’ participation in STEM fields. The Girls in STEM Day program hosted by UNLV Scientista Foundation is designed to encourage middle school girls of color from the Clark County School District to find interest in STEM. Interactive activities and framework analysis of the program provides prospective success towards increasing interest and participation in STEM. Evaluation of this program and activities will provide further evidence for curriculum development to triangulate girls’ experiences and perceptions of STEM. The authors of this study expect to contribute specific examples indicating middle school girls’ interests in STEM-based on experiences in a day-long STEM event.

Keywords

STEM education, Middle school, Girls, STEM workshops, Day-long event

Submission Type

Primary review article

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