VOICES FROM THE FIELD - An Unexpected Outcome - Afterschool STEM Enrichment Empowers Facilitators, Too!

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley

Explores how afterschool STEM enrichment empowers not only students but also program facilitators through autonomy, self-determination, and self-efficacy. Defines empowerment as self-determination involving autonomy, competence to express individual talent, and resilience against fear of failure. Uses the author’s experience designing STEM programs and highlights how inquiry, scientific method, and metacognitive development support student growth in identity, communication, and critical thinking, while enabling unexpected facilitator growth.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Afterschool STEM Enrichment and Empowerment

Empowerment and self-determination

STEM enrichment, metacognition, and learner outcomes

Inquiry, scientific method, and self-efficacy for educators

Empowering identity through STEM activities

VO ICES FROM THE FIELD An Unexpected Outcome Afterschool STEM Enrichment Empowers Facilitators, Too! Michelle Masarik Oneof the goals of afterschool programming istoempower students by increasing their sense of autonomy and giving them room to chart their own course of discovery. Long before STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) became part of the educational vernacular, afterschool practitioners were using science content and scientific practices as tools for youth empowerment. For that empowerment to happen, the youth themselves have to connect to the content and experience self-actualization. During my time as an outdoor program specialist and camp director for the Girl Scouts, I designed and taught programs that exposed girls to science. I quickly discovered my own personal enthusiasm for the STEM experiences that are abundant in everyday life, along with a willingness to share my enthusiasm. But I was amom with two daughters and no college degree. I didn’t think ofwhat I was doing as a real contribution to STEM education or to girls’empowerment. However, as I continued to design programs to encourage girls in STEM, I discovered that I was also being encouraged. As I taught girls to reach for more, I also became something more. Using that background and my increasing selfefficacy, I continued to work in afterschool STEM enrichment. In my work with middle-school-aged youth ina 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, I’ve found that robust STEM experiences can empower not only program participants but also their facilitators. Empowerment, defined as the capacity for selfdetermination, is important to every person’swell-being; the term is often used in discussions of program design and education. Self-determination includes the need for autonomy, the competence to express individual talent and skills, and the ability to overcome the fear of failure (Ryan & Deci, 2000) . MICHELLE MASARIK is the STEM advisor for the Friendship Train Foundation and part of the administration team for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel All Stars 21st Century Community Learning Center in Asbury Park, NJ. She participated in the Afterschool Matters Practitioner Research Fellowship in 2015 and has recently completed a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology. STEM enrichment gives young people the means to acquire knowledge, realize their abilities, and practice their skills in a consequence-free environment. These activities in turn enhance development of metacognitive skills—the ability to be aware of one’s own mental process. For example, middle school students begin to use strategies for learning and knowing when it is appropriate to apply them (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) . In practicing and developing these skills, students can experience increased empowerment in at least three areas: identity, communication, and critical thinking. In addition, STEM enrichment uses inquiry and scientific method to develop self-efficacy—both in learners and in educators. To successfully facilitate STEM learning, educators need to learn the content and, more importantly, the methods that increase learners’ interest and excitement (Ejiwale, 2012) . As educators work to increase their skills and knowledge to present the best experience for their students, an unexpected outcome can bean increase in their own self-efficacy and STEM identity. Empowering Identity Middle school students are poised to leave behind the identities their families and social institutions have conferred upon them so they can construct their own personae (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010) . If you ask middle school youth what they want to be when they grow up, their answers will change regularly. Erikson (1968) noted that adolescent identity is not something that is attained; it is constantly reassessed and reframed according to realized abilities and personal goals. The child who lives, eats, and breathes dinosaurs today could have a bedroom de

FAQs

How does afterschool STEM programming empower students?

It supports self-determination by increasing autonomy and enabling learners to practice skills in a consequence-free environment, which also strengthens metacognitive strategies and critical thinking.

Why can STEM enrichment empower facilitators as well as participants?

By requiring educators to learn content and facilitation methods that increase learner interest, the work can lead to an unexpected rise in educators’ own self-efficacy and STEM identity.

What does the document say about STEM’s role in adolescent identity development?

STEM programming helps students explore interests, reassess goals, and “try on new hats,” including developing committed STEM identities through hands-on experiments and coding experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley