Challenging Educational Inequities in Early STEM Instruction

It is urgent to ensure that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education meets the needs of our nation’s increasingly diverse student population. This study examined whether a second-grade science program, Scientific Explorers, supported educational equity in STEM achievement for diverse student populations. Sociodemographic variables such as race and ethnicity, disability status, socioeconomic status, and gender were explored to determine their impact on student response variation within the program. Results of the moderator analysis indicated that students benefited equitably from the Scientific Explorers program, regardless of their sociodemographic identities, on three out of four science outcomes. Implications of the current study suggest early STEM programs that incorporate validated instructional design and delivery principles can serve as a viable mechanism to reduce sociodemographic achievement gaps in early elementary classrooms by empowering young females, building important science background and vocabulary knowledge, and offering students meaningful discourse and investigative practice opportunities.