Importance of Program

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, in 2019 on average, 59.1% of elementary students tested at below expectations in science in most Laurel County elementary schools. Whereas some schools such as Colony and Camp Ground Elementaries only had 21.9% and 24.5% of their students test at proficient or higher in science. Today's youth need Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) exposure and experiences to help youth build critical thinking skills and begin to build foundational knowledge that will aid them in making connections to higher level science skills. Additionally, understanding and appreciating SET is critical as the technological workforce needs develop.

Response

4-H curriculum uses scientific inquiry to spark interest in SET subjects. Monthly and bi-monthly SET activities, targeting 3^rd-5^th graders were delivered as in-school clubs and enrichment, after-school programs, traditional clubs, and science themed workshops. Two hundred ninety-one youth received a minimum of eight SET hands-on educational hours each totaling 2,328 educational hours. SET topics included the Scientific Method, Physics with Balloon Cars, Whose Poo, Kentucky Mammals, Newton’s Laws of Motion, Paleontology (Fossils), Population Dynamics, and Crime Scene Investigation Science. All activities focused on gaining first-hand understanding of science while developing problem solving and creative/critical thinking skills.

Results

4-H SET experiences help youth gain life skills to identify problems, strategize, compare results, reason, and make decisions. According to a year-end evaluation, youth reported the ability to set up an experiment to answer a question (92%), build connections to explain why things happen in an experiment (91%), and apply learned information to conduct science activities outside of school (64%). Ninety-one percent of youth reported they like science. As a result of 4-H SET activities, youth developed techniques to use the scientific method (94%) and gather information to make decisions (89%). All youth applied scientific principles and theories through hands-on experiments.

Youth applied the laws of motion during a hands-on crash simulation. Through experimentation, youth discovered how speed, mass, and acceleration affect a crash in terms of damage to the vehicle and its passengers. It’s safe to say, that youth also learned the importance of wearing a seat belt.