Publications and Resources

McQuillan J, Hill PW, Jochman J, Kelly G. 2023. Decline is not inevitable: Changes in science identity during the progression through a U.S. middle school among boys and girls. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 9:1-16. DOI: 10.1177/23780231231152195.

Abstract

In the United States, science capital is important for navigating many aspects of life. Yet during middle school, science interest declines more for girls than boys. It is unclear, however, whether science identity also declines during the middle school years and if there are differences by gender. The authors advance prior research by modeling changes in science identity and associations with changes in identity-relevant characteristics using growth curve analyses on four waves of data from 760 middle school youth. For girls and boys, science identity changes over time; about 40 percent of the variance is within-person change, with the remainder explained by aggregate between-person differences. The associations of all identity-relevant characteristics with science identity are not significantly different for girls and boys, yet declines in average values of identity-relevant characteristics are larger for girls than boys.

Jochman J, McQuillan J, Kelly G, Hill PW, Leadabrand M. 2023. NebrASKa Voices survey methodology report; Including missing data handling and creating a raked weight variable using iterative proportional fitting. Digital Commons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln, digitalcommons.unl.edu/wrldconnex/7.

Hill PW, Diamond J, Spiegel AN, VanWormer E, Leadabrand M, McQuillan J. 2022. Accuracy of COVID-19 relevant knowledge among youth: Number of information sources matters. PLOS ONE, 27 Dec 2022. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267871.

Abstract

Can comics effectively convey scientific knowledge about COVID-19 to youth? What types and how many sources of information did youth have about COVID-19 during the pandemic? How are sources of information associated with accurate COVID-19 knowledge? To answer these questions, we surveyed youth in grades 5–9 in a Midwestern United States school district in the winter of 2020–2021. The online survey used measures of COVID-19 knowledge and sources, with an embedded experiment on COVID-19 relevant comics. Guided by an integrated science capital and just-in-time health and science information acquisition model, we also measured level of science capital, science identity, and utility of science for health and society. The school district protocol required parental consent for participation; 264 of ~15,000 youth participated. Youth were randomly assigned one of four comic conditions before receiving an online survey. Results indicate that, similar to knowledge gains in comic studies on other science topics, reading the comics was associated with 7 to 29% higher accuracy about COVID-19. We found that youth reported getting information about COVID-19 from between 0–6 sources including media, family, friends, school, and experts. The bivariate positive association of news versus other sources with accuracy of knowledge did not persist in the full model, yet the positive association of a higher number of sources and accuracy did persist in the multivariate models. The degree of valuing the utility of science for their health moderated the number of sources to accuracy association. Those with less value on science for health had a stronger positive association of number of sources and accuracy in COVID-19 knowledge. We conclude that during a pandemic, even with health and science information ubiquitous in the news media, increasing youth access to a variety of accurate sources of information about science and health can increase youth knowledge.

Stevenson N, Sommers AS, Grandgenett N, Tapprich W, McQuillan J, Phillips M, Jensen R, Cutucache C. 2022. Replicating or franchising a STEM afterschool program model: Core elements of programmatic integrity. International Journal of STEM Education. 2022;9(1):10. PubMed PMID: 35106273; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8795932; DOI: 10.1186/s40594-021-00320-0.

Abstract

Background: Designed in 2012 with a first implementation in 2013, NE STEM 4U is a professional development program for post-secondary students/undergraduates, and serves as a source of outreach, content knowledge generation, and STEM literacy for youth in grades kindergarten through 8th grade (ages 5-14). The model empowers post-secondary students as facilitators of inquiry-based learning within the context of an out-of-school time program. This study investigated the potential for replicating or 'franchising' this model by evaluating on the following: (1) Is the model replicable? And, if so, (2) what core elements are necessary for program fidelity? And (3) is there a dependency on a particular setting/participant type (e.g., a more rural or urban setting)?

Results: Strategic expansion of the program to different institutional types (i.e., Research 1, Research II, and a predominantly undergraduate institution), different geographical locations (i.e., rural and urban), and with various school district partners (i.e., large and small) determined that program fidelity and replicability required 4 core elements or criteria: (i) intentional programming, (ii) staff quality, (iii) effective partnerships, and (iv) program evaluation and continuous improvement. Importantly, we examined emergent themes by each site, as well as in combination (n = 16 focus group participants, n = 12 reflection surveys). These data indicated that Flexibility (21.22%), Student Engagement (i.e., Youth) (19.53%), Classroom Management (i.e., also pertaining to youth) (19.31%), and Communication (15.71%) were the themes most referenced by the post-secondary student mentors in the NE STEM 4U program, regardless of site. Finally, the YPQA results demonstrate general replication of program quality in a "franchise" location.

Conclusions: These results highlight the core elements of the NE STEM 4U program for consideration of expansion (through strategic replication or 'franchising') as a possible international model. The findings and voices highlight the program's trajectory toward success into environments that expand professional development for post-secondary students, and for delivering STEM opportunities for youth.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-021-00320-0.

Keywords: Afterschool program; Educational organizational leadership; NE STEM 4U; Out-of-school time programming; Outreach; Program fidelity; STEM.

McQuillan J, Hill PW, M Leadabrand. 2022. Expanding graduate education and career placement through CER. Footnotes: A Magazine of the American Sociology Association 50(1): Winter 2022.

Diamond J, Spiegel A, Hill TW, VanWormer E, Gaiashkibos J, Hall B, Sutherlen A, McQuillan J. 2021. Developing pandemic comics for youth audiences. Journal of STEM Outreach. 2021 Jul;4(2):10.15695/jstem/v4i2.03. doi: 10.15695/jstem/v4i2.03. Epub 2021 Jul 19. PMID: 34532652; PMCID: PMC8443080.

Abstract

In spring 2020 our team received funding from the Rapid Response Research program of the National Science Foundation to develop comics that would help youth understand the COVID-19 pandemic. Our project built on a decade of expertise creating comics about the biology of viruses. In collaboration with virologists and artists, we developed three comic stories about COVID-19 during the pandemic and posted them on-line during the last half of 2020. The fictional narratives address fundamental issues in biology, virology, and network science, in order to help readers understand the complexities of living through a viral pandemic. The stories focus on three themes: the biology and social context of the COVID-19 virus; the relationship of wild animals, particularly bats, to the pandemic; and the impact of the pandemic on Tribal communities. We describe the challenges of comic development during the pandemic and the feedback from youth on whether the comics were appealing, interesting, and understandable. The stories were posted on worldofviruses.unl.edu and are published by the University of Nebraska Press as the book, C'RONA Pandemic Comics, with essays for youth about the virus and the pandemic.