Promoting Equitable Access to STEM in a Summer Herpetology Fieldwork Program

Graphical Abstract

The HERP (Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces) Project links in-school and out-of-school learning spaces by offering summer programs that engage high school students, scientists, and educators. The authors share the strategies they used to identify and serve a diverse set of participants.

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• Informal Education
• Equity

Acknowledgments

The authors of this paper acknowledge the contributions of all HERP Project Principal Investigators (Andy Ash, Heidi Carlone, Catherine E. Matthews, Ann Somers, and Terry Tomasek); North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (Jeff Hall); and the many, many K–12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, and K–12 teachers involved in this project. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grant #DRL-1114558. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Author Contributions

Aerin Benavides ([email protected]) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Teacher Education and Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Amy Germuth ([email protected]) is a program evaluator and owner of EvalWorks, LLC, in Durham, North Carolina.

Catherine E. Matthews ([email protected]) is professor emerita in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Heidi B. Carlone ([email protected]) is professor of science education in the Department of Teacher Education and Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Lacey Huffling ([email protected]) is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.

Mary Ash ([email protected]) is coordinator of undergraduate science education in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in Pembroke, North Carolina.

Notes

1 More information about the studies is included on the HERP Project’s website. The HERP Project Curriculum for teachers and informal educators, which aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards, is also available for free.

2 More information about the Carolina HERP Atlas is available online. The HERP Project also highly recommends the HERPMapper and has started to upload data to this international database.

3 UNC-TV Produced a six-minute special on box turtles, which features students and our staff. This show is still shown regularly on public TV. The HERP Project’s Video entry for the 2016 NSF STEM for All Video Showcase highlights our former participants working with the public at UNCG’s second Science Festival.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aerin Benavides

Aerin Benavides ([email protected]) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Teacher Education and Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Amy Germuth

Amy Germuth ([email protected]) is a program evaluator and owner of EvalWorks, LLC, in Durham, North Carolina.

Catherine E. Matthews

Catherine E. Matthews ([email protected]) is professor emerita in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Heidi B. Carlone

Heidi B. Carlone ([email protected]) is professor of science education in the Department of Teacher Education and Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Lacey Huffling

Lacey Huffling ([email protected]) is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia.

Mary Ash

Mary Ash ([email protected]) is coordinator of undergraduate science education in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in Pembroke, North Carolina.