Longitudinal Study on the Impact the Sunday Academy Model had on STEM Learning and Success of American Indian Students

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A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Extending the instructional capabilities to the local pre-college population is a significant element and broader impact of the central work. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover will increase the body of knowledge on the efficacy of instructional methodologies that appeal to Native students and increase their interest and success in STEM studies and careers.Tribal Nations Research Group (TNRG) serves as the lead for a study that would describe the context and capture the impact of an informal STEM instructional experience, the Sunday Academy Model (SAM). SAM has been supported largely by NSF for almost two decades and has been conducted by the tribal colleges of North Dakota, with participation of North Dakota State University (NDSU) and the University of North Dakota (UND). The program has provided STEM instructional enrichment activities for on- and near-reservation students and teachers, and has engaged approximately 2000 students. The study will be pursued through mixed methods that include focus groups, measures of student academic success and pursuit, and control comparisons.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.