Undergraduate Motivations for Participating in Afterschool Programs

A Case Study of The STEMinist Program

By Alexandria Muller, Devon M. Christman, Mallory M. Rice, Fatima Soto-Apolinar, Sarah Hirsch, and Diana J. Arya

Undergraduate students are a critical resource for university-community programs that provide enriching learning opportunities for school-age youth who have limited exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Many universities offer afterschool outreach programs that enable youth to interact with science faculty, and many such programs depend on undergraduates as facilitators. However, education research has focused on the youth served rather than on the undergraduates who facilitate the outreach programs.

Tags: Community Based Organization, STEM, Partnership, Leadership, Mentoring