2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Many pre-college programs were developed and implemented to increase high school student's interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Plentiful prior studies documented the positive impacts of such outreach efforts. This paper examines the incremental impacts of such interventions throughout program duration using three longitudinal surveys – an opening survey, a mid-program survey, and an end-of-program survey. Paired with demographic data collected in the student recruitment stage, statistical analyses reveal differential impacts on students by gender and family background. Findings demonstrate how students' self-evaluations and perspectives on STEM education and career choices change over time while attending a summer program. This will help educators and outreach project directors better design and implement such programs.