The study investigates whether and how mock interviews, an instructional component of business Chinese courses, prepare students for real interviews. The study included 11 American undergraduate students who participated in a 10-week summer study abroad program in China. Participants underwent two rounds of mock interviews with their instructors…

The personal, social, and academic challenges during the transition from high school to college contribute to lower retention rates and lower GPAs. These challenges are even more pronounced for historically underserved populations. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, students face new challenges and a lack of access to the typical resources and…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the UCSF Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) in enhancing research-related skills, academic outcomes, and post-baccalaureate aspirations of underrepresented minority (URM) and non-URM undergraduate students in biomedical sciences and STEM fields. The SSRP, spanning 9 weeks, provides immersive research…

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly ubiquitous in society, conversational agents such as Siri, Alexa, and ChatGPT are shaping the experiences of younger generations. However, these young users often lack opportunities to learn about the inner workings of these AI technologies. One way to foster such learning is by empowering…

Environmental education (EE) programs, when combined with human-wildlife interactions (HWI), can trigger emotions, an essential part of attitudes that influence pro-environmental behaviors (PEB). We used participant observation and a post-event evaluation survey to investigate emotional response to HWI among participants from marine educational…

Workforce shortages in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have led to an increasing need for STEM outreach programs for high school students. This article presents an integrated approach to such efforts; government agencies, the host university, and local professional associations play meaningful roles in program design…

Across the United States, K-12 schools are recognizing that as the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolled increases, there is an opportunity for greater linguistic and cultural exchange among all learners. ELLs also face the dual challenge of learning English in addition to rigorous academic content. This makes them vulnerable to…

How to address the gender gap in STEM has been widely debated. Among the ways to encourage females to pursue STEM careers are outreach programs offered by schools and universities. This manuscript reviews the implementation of a novel program, the Women in Science Experience (WISE), a STEM-focused residential summer camp for high school females,…

Out-of-school-time programs for youth that are focused on STEM content are often seen as affording opportunities to increase youth engagement, interest, and knowledge in STEM domains, yet we know relatively little about how youth actually experience such programs. In this article, we explore how experiences and activities employed in the delivery…

In this commentary, a National Writing Project site director and two teachers reflect on the philosophy of ubuntu as it helped them redesign a writing community between teachers and students in Connecticut. With the guidance of writing activity genre research, the authors discuss the creation of Young Adult Literacy Labs, including Ubuntu Academy,…

We present results from a meta-analysis of 37 contemporary experimental and quasi-experimental studies of summer programs in mathematics for children in grades pre-K-12, examining what resources and characteristics predict stronger student achievement. Children who participated in summer programs that included mathematics activities experienced…

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) aims to increase diversity in research and health-related careers. The SURP provides underrepresented minority (URM) and disadvantaged students with research, mentoring, and networking experiences; real-life surgical observations; and simulated…

This study assessed the impact of Mawhiba-IAU (an innovative gifted summer program in Saudi Arabia to prepare gifted students to thrive in an innovation-based economy) on students' achievement, soft skills, and satisfaction. The convenience sample consisted of three datasets of gifted students for the various research questions. A…

Our inquiry considers how minoritized youth counter brutal hegemony by re-imagining their identities through arts. In particular, it explores how minoritized youth draw on dark themes to (re)present their lives in creative production. Since K-12 educational contexts are often viewed as sites of convivial ambience where student depictions of…

Control-value theory suggests that students' control and value appraisals mediate the relation between contextual supports and student emotions in formal learning settings; however, this theory has not been tested in informal learning contexts. Understanding mechanisms for instructional support in informal learning contexts can inform the design…