DesignYOU! Code Camp is a grant-funded summer outreach camp designed to increase interest in coding and STEM careers among middle school students (6th - 8th graders) through an innovative, immersive summer camp experience. To make the concepts of coding more palpable, researchers incorporated fashion and retail allowing students to learn through…

The purpose of this research is to identify common meanings and experiences of students regarding their career outlook within the retail, hospitality and tourism sector who had the opportunity to engage in a three-week study abroad as an experiential learning activity. Through an in-depth understanding using qualitative focus groups with 13…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine doctoral student perceptions about an experiential learning summer study away program involving one Texas educational leadership doctoral (Ed.D.) program. Students shared their perceptions about how the four-day study away trip advanced their professional and educational development in…

Engaging in research experiences as a high school or undergraduate student interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is pivotal for their academic and professional development. A structured teaching framework can help cultivate a student's curiosity and passion for learning and research. In this study, an eight-week…

Due to financial strain, a local school district in the Central Great Plains abandoned a curriculum-based summer camp and the local university adopted it, providing opportunities for growth and educational expansion. Additionally, a research component was added to the camp to understand better the impact of the primarily experiential learning…

Current environmental crises call for an integrated knowledge of landscapes and their ecosystems in a broader sense. This article presents a pedagogical framework for cross-disciplinary landscape research at postgraduate level. The framework is grounded in the use of geospatial epistemic discomfort as a creative force to develop and enhance…

This study investigated middle school students' Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy, focusing on cognitive and affective dimensions with regard to learning about AI. Fourteen middle school students participated in a five-day summer camp. They engaged in a project-based AI literacy program with hands-on activities, data collection and modeling,…

This study analyzes how self-guided cultural exploration and reflection (SCER) tasks affect the development of intercultural competency (ICC) of students participating in a study abroad program. The Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) was used to measure students' ICC development before and after a 6-week faculty-led study abroad program in…

The current study explores the efforts of one summer youth employment program to provide students with meaningful work experiences and the participants' perceptions of the meaningfulness of their work and its effect on their future orientation. Most of the students in the study were under the age of 18. The Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Summer…

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in an experiential learning setting can provide undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to learn about other professional practices, address patient/individual needs, and learn to work in a team setting that is respective of many disciplines. The current study examined the impact of an…

Declining enrollments in teacher preparation programs across the United States signal a critical need for institutions of higher education to consider innovative recruitment initiatives. This pilot study investigates a novel approach to recruiting undergraduates into a teacher preparation program. Nine participants, mostly first-year college…

Transdisciplinary approaches increasingly are needed to address complex environmental problems. Students can benefit from research and learning opportunities in which they investigate issues, integrate knowledge across disciplines, engage with stakeholders, collaborate with others, and devise solutions. This paper presents information on a 1-week…

A qualitative case study research design was used to examine American female elementary students' perceptions about mathematics before and after participating in a math practices workshop designed specifically for females. The workshop sought to address perceived barriers to learning math by applying math concepts to real-life situations while…

Background: Authentic research experiences and mentoring have positive impacts on fostering STEM engagement among youth from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM. Programs applying an experiential learning approach often incorporate one or both of these elements, however, there is little research on how these factors impact youth's STEM engagement…

International service-learning provides opportunities to explore concepts of social justice with students. In this study, we describe the structure of a summer international, interdisciplinary service-learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students. We describe the ways in which these students engaged in social justice education and…