Organized Out-of-School STEM Education

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic offers a forum for researchers investigating organized out-of-school STEM education for K-12 students. Examples of organized out-of-school education initiatives include after-school programs; workshops and field trips; visits to science museums, science centers, and planetariums; competitions and fairs; and online courses and programs. They are typically designed to enhance students’ learning experiences and interest in STEM through hands-on, interactive, and experiential learning. However, we are open to broad definitions of out-of-school STEM education and various pedagogical foci. We welcome research, particularly – but not exclusively – in the following areas:

1. Effectiveness and impact
• How does participation in organized out-of-school STEM education affect students’ interest, achievement, and other outcomes?
• Can long-term effects (e.g., on participants’ course and occupational choices or career paths) be observed?
2. Participation
• What factors affect students’ access to and participation in organized out-of-school STEM education?
• Are there differences in participation in organized out-of-school STEM education, e.g., regarding gender, ethnicity, disabled people, or socioeconomic status, and why is this the case?
3. Educational concepts and didactics
• What features of organized out-of-school STEM offerings most effectively promote student interest and skills?
• How do different teaching methods and strategies in organized out-of-school STEM education affect student learning and motivation?
4. Cooperation
• How do collaborations with institutions (schools, universities, businesses, non-profit organizations) affect the quality and reach of organized out-of-school STEM education initiatives?
• What role does informal (parents, peers, neighborhood, etc.) out-of-school support play in organized out-of-school STEM education?
5. Technology
• What roles do digital technologies and online platforms play in providing organized out-of-school STEM education?
• How can new technologies and innovative approaches improve organized out-of-school STEM offerings and make them more accessible?
6. Evaluation
• What are the best methods and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of organized out-of-school STEM education?
• How can the effectiveness and impact of organized out-of-school STEM education be measured and documented in the long term?

We hope to receive qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies from researchers working in disciplines such as education, sociology, or psychology. Based on their findings, we would like them to provide practical implications and recommendations for designing organized out-of-school STEM offerings. Though theoretical papers, particularly review papers, are welcome, purely descriptive papers will not be accepted.

Prof. Dr. Heidrun Stoeger
Prof. Dr. Martin Storksdieck
Prof. Dr. Albert Ziegler
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Adolescents adolescents	0.8	1.8	2021	32 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Education Sciences education	2.6	5.5	2011	29.2 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Encyclopedia encyclopedia	-	-	2021	26.9 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Social Sciences socsci	1.7	3.1	2012	34.5 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Societies societies	1.6	3.0	2011	34.4 Days	CHF 1400	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Adolescents Education Sciences Encyclopedia Social Sciences Societies

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21 pages, 320 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of a Science Center Student Lab Project on Subject Attitudes Toward STEM Subjects and Career Choices in STEM Fields

by Anikó Makkos, Boglárka Boldizsár, Szabolcs Rákosi and Zoltán Csizmadia

Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1086; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091086 - 22 Aug 2025

Viewed by 407

Abstract

This research examines the impact of the project ‘Development of Science Experiential Education Programs and Science Experiential Centres’, implemented by the Mobilis Science Center in Győr between 2017 and 2021. The professional and societal relevance of the program and research lies in the [...] Read more.

This research examines the impact of the project ‘Development of Science Experiential Education Programs and Science Experiential Centres’, implemented by the Mobilis Science Center in Győr between 2017 and 2021. The professional and societal relevance of the program and research lies in the growing importance of STEM disciplines and careers worldwide in recent decades, ensuring a long-term supply of skilled workers. A vital tool for this is the development of curricula that meet the needs of the 21st century, as well as the innovation of teaching methods in science subjects. The research involves a review of the literature on experiential science teaching and subject attitudes, the role of science centers, and relevant project documents. The present research, involving 592 students, focused on attitudes toward technology and science, openness to STEM careers, and the experiences and memories of participants in the student lab theme days. The results of the statistical data analyses confirm the effectiveness of the experiential education methods used in the theme day sessions, as the students’ openness to STEM careers is higher for those who participated in the sessions compared to the non-participants. There are significant differences in the attitudes of girls and boys participating in the program toward science subjects. The results suggest that the success in stimulating interest in science was mainly due to the experiential nature of the sessions. Moreover, the research found that the project led to the strengthening of the participants’ personal and social skills. This study is the first to look at the impact of the project. The results shed light on how teaching STEM subjects using experiential pedagogical methods can contribute to the long-term effectiveness of Széchenyi István University’s enrollment efforts and lead to the economic success of companies in a region facing a significant labor shortage in STEM careers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Organized Out-of-School STEM Education)

20 pages, 757 KB  

Open AccessArticle

STEM “On-the-Job”: The Role of Summer Youth Employment Programs in the STEM Learning Ecosystem

by Thomas Akiva, Lori Delale-O’Connor and Emily Thurston

Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15081061 - 19 Aug 2025

Viewed by 315

Abstract

Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs) operate in most major U.S. cities and are known to build social–emotional and job skills in youth while reducing crime. Integrating STEM learning and summer employment offers a promising way to increase youth engagement in STEM—and allow leaders [...] Read more.

Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs) operate in most major U.S. cities and are known to build social–emotional and job skills in youth while reducing crime. Integrating STEM learning and summer employment offers a promising way to increase youth engagement in STEM—and allow leaders to access funding not typically used for education. Using a connected learning framework, we examined how STEM-focused SYEPs support STEM pathways, the practices they implement, and their connections with schools. Our study explored 10 diverse STEM programs (e.g., robotics, renewable energy, coding) within a citywide employment initiative in summer 2015. Through 22 staff interviews and focus groups with 59 youth, we found that these programs provided meaningful and engaging STEM experiences. They combined interest-driven exploration with hands-on, real-world learning in supportive environments. Many included mentors from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. While collaboration with schools was generally limited to recruitment and shared facilities, opportunities for deeper partnerships were evident. Our findings led to a list of ten promising practices for STEM-focused SYEPs. This study underscores the importance of lifelong, lifewide, and connected approaches to STEM learning through summer employment initiatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Organized Out-of-School STEM Education)

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