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Research Articles

Vol. 25 No. 2

STEM Outreach: Are We Making a Difference? A Case Study Evaluating the Science and Engineering Challenge Program

Submitted
January 27, 2020
Published
2021-06-29

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach programs aim to increase participation in STEM fields. However, the impact of these programs is rarely measured due to inherent difficulties in conducting long-term evaluations. This article presents a decadal evaluation of the Science and Engineering Challenge (SEC), an Australian STEM outreach program. From 2006 to 2015, 5,210 high school and 2,445 first-year university students were surveyed to assess whether the SEC influenced their decision to pursue STEM studies. Of the high school physics students, 51.9% reported that the SEC influenced their decision to study physics. A smaller yet significant impact was reported by chemistry (35.2%) and mathematics (32.0%) students. Further, 30.9% of university students indicated that the SEC influenced their decision to pursue a STEM degree. These findings demonstrate that long-term evaluation of outreach program effects is achievable and that outreach programs can indeed have a demonstrable impact on student career choices.