As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students had their educational experiences disrupted as schools became shuttered and for some students virtual schooling began. When school facilities closed and online began, families had increased responsibilities for their children's education. Subsequently, there is an increase in attention to…

The principal purpose of this program evaluation was to determine how the 2010-2019 alumni of the William & Mary (W&M) D.C. Summer Institutes (DCSI) perceived their participation helped them achieve career readiness. Existing literature on experiential learning methods and practices has suggested great value in such opportunities, but less…

Though gains have been made in broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for underserved and historically marginalized groups, challenges remain with recruiting, retaining, and graduating Black women in STEM. This study offers a nuanced response to this underrepresentation and centers on participants'…

The digital fabrication lab, or Fab Lab, at California State University, Bakersfield provided a 1-week, half-day summer program for local area middle school students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect this summer program had on their attitudes towards math and science. The theoretical framework used for this study was based on…

This paper explores treatment effects in three different contexts: an extended school year pilot program in an urban school district, a library summer reading program serving twenty-one urban school districts, and states passing the Equal Rights Amendment during the 1970s and 1980s. Estimates generated using two years of intervention data along…

Middle school (G5-8) students' cognitive engagement, motivation, and future aspirations in science were quantified within informal contexts (week-long summer camps) with self-reported measures of cognitive strategies, self-regulation, value, self-efficacy, and future aspirations over the course of two phases (N = 152, N =140). The participating…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the STARTALK language programs on the internationalization of higher education in the United States. The study focused on the 11 STARTALK language programs offered to high school students in the summers of 2013, 2014, and 2015 on various university campuses in the U.S. Such programs enabled…

The purpose of the study was to contribute to the literature regarding how STEM experiences affect preadolescent female students. More specifically, the purpose was to better understand the experience of 250 female fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students at a summer STEM camp and how those experiences might impact their interest in STEM subjects…

With six-year degree completion rates for undergraduate students at a dismal 50% nationally (Weddle-West & Bingham, 2010), many institutions of higher education strive to develop programming to increase student retention rates. Summer bridge programs, an example of commonly used retention programs, seek to increase retention rates by…

This research study investigated student and institutional variables associated with timely degree completion of the associate degree by community college students. Along with increased community college enrollments, time to degree has also increased. Three years (150% time or six semesters) currently stands as the community college standard for…

The current study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the Rowan University-School of Osteopathic Medicine - Summer Pre-Medical Research and Education Program (Summer PREP), a postsecondary medical sciences enrichment pipeline program for under-represented and disadvantaged students. Thirty-four former program participants were surveyed…

The purpose of the current study was to compare students' oral reading fluency (ORF) skills before and after summer break. This study examined whether students whose ORF regressed would regain those skills within a month of returning to school. In particular, the study examined differences between students with and without specific learning…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between participation in the Summer Bridge Program, grade point averages and retention of first-year college students. Additionally, this study examined the differences in grade point averages of college students after their first semester and first-year of college with regard to their…