Methodological Choices When Assessing Summer Bridge Programs in STEM Majors: A Scoping Review

Summer Bridge Programs (SBPs) support students’ personal, organizational, content-related, and social challenges as they transition from high school to postsecondary education. However, the research is not conclusive on the overall effect of these programs on academic performance. Prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses have raised critical methodological concerns. Following the PRISMA framework, this scoping review examines the methodological aspects when assessing the academic effects of SBPs on incoming STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students. The inclusion criteria were studies that quantitatively assessed the academic performance of SBPs offered during the summer prior to the start of classes for incoming first-year STEM students and that included a control group. We searched ERIC, Web of Science, SciELO, and ProQuest databases. This review included 37 studies evaluating 33 programs. The majority of academic evaluations relied on course performance, graduation or retention rates, and GPA (Grade Point Average) outcomes. Moreover, the evidence is mainly descriptive or observational, with no control variables. We found a lack of studies that used an experimental or observational approach while also controlling for participants’ background variables. Finally, the reported outcomes are mainly short-term, with only a small number of studies assessing longer-term effects of SBPs, such as graduation rates.