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Peer-reviewed article

Promoting Equitable Access to STEM in a Summer Herpetology Fieldwork Program

November 15, 2016 | Public Programs
The lack of equitable access to science learning for marginalized groups is now a significant concern in the science education community (Bell et al. 2009). In our commitment to addressing these concerns, we (the HERP Project staff) have spent four years exploring different ways to increase diverse student participation in our informal science programs called herpetology research experiences (HREs). We wanted the demographics of participants to mirror the racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic demographics of the areas where our HREs are held. To achieve this, project staff worked closely with local teachers to attract and recruit diverse participants; thus, the connections between teachers in formal education and our informal learning program were paramount to our success. We defined diverse students as those from populations that are often marginalized in STEM education due to their gender, race or ethnicity, first language, socioeconomic status, academic status, and prior knowledge of reptiles and amphibians, as research indicates that these groups do not have equal access to STEM opportunities.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Aerin Benavides
    Author
    University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Amy Germuth
    Author
    Evalworks, LLC
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Georgia Southern University
  • Mary Ash
    Author
    University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Citation

    ISSN : 2475-8779
    Publication Name: Connected Science Learning
    Volume: 2

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: ISE/AISL
    Award Number: 1114558
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Life science
    Audience: Youth/Teen (up to 17) | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Summer and Extended Camps
    Access and Inclusion: Ethnic/Racial | Asian Communities | Black/African American Communities | Hispanic/Latinx Communities | Indigenous and Tribal Communities | Pacific Islander Communities | Women and Girls | English Language Learners | Low Socioeconomic Status | Rural

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