Learning about climate change is tangible when it addresses impacts that can be observed close to home. In this program, 64 diverse middle and high school students produced videos about locally relevant climate change topics. Graduate and undergraduate students provided mentorship. The program engaged students in research and learning about climate change and sparked their interest in science careers. Evaluation results showed that students were highly motivated by the experience, developed a genuine interest in their science topic, learned about the scientific process and developed 21 st

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a model of factors contributing to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and career orientation, examining the complex paths and relationships among social, motivational, and instructional factors underlying these outcomes for middle school youth. Social cognitive career theory provided the foundation for the research because of its emphasis on explaining mechanisms which influence both career orientations and academic performance. Key constructs investigated were youth STEM interest, self-efficacy, and career

This paper presents the design of the Design-Based Information Technologies Learning Experiences (DITLE) project, a large K-12 STEM outreach project supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It impacts IT education among six public high schools in a metropolitan area. The designed activities of the project are presented and shared with the education research community to invoke discussion. The project is currently in its first year of a three-year grant period. The lessons and experiences learned so far are also summarized for discussion.