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Objective: To examine the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary, discovery-oriented teaching unit designed to provide science and health information about HIV from the perspective of viral biology, population statistics and epidemiology. Design: Single group pre- and post-curriculum pilot study. Setting: Fifteen middle and high school classrooms recruited from districts in and around a large, diverse, urban area in the mid-southern USA. Method: Science educators, clinicians, virologists and biologists collaborated to develop a set of five activities intended to increase content knowledge related to HIV, while developing students’ science-related skills in the context of an authentic, relevant example. The activities were piloted with six hundred and twenty-four 12- to 18-year-old students. Multiple-choice pre- and post-tests were used to assess changes in students’ knowledge, and teacher evaluations were used to gauge appropriateness of content, ease of activity implementation and teacher perceptions of student skill development, learning and engagement. Results: Student pre- and post-tests and teacher post-evaluations indicated that the curriculum was effective in increasing content knowledge for students across all age ranges, with 13- to 14-year-old, grade 8 students achieving the greatest knowledge gains. Teacher-reported information also suggested that students were able to apply relevant skills to their interpretation of authentic data related to the incidence and transmission of HIV infection around the world. Conclusion: The developed activities have the potential to provide timely, relevant information to students while strengthening science-related content knowledge and skills as well as health literacy.

The middle school years are a crucial time for cultivating students’ interest in and preparedness for future STEM careers. However, not all middle school children are provided opportunities to engage, learn and achieve in STEM subject areas. Engineering, in particular, is neglected in these grades because it usually is not part of science or mathematics curricula. This study investigates the effectiveness of an engineering-integrated STEM curriculum designed for use in an after-school environment. The inquiry-based activities comprising the unit, Think Like an Astronaut, were intended to introduce students to STEM careers—specifically engineering and aerospace engineering—and enhance their skills and knowledge applicable related to typical middle school science objectives. Results of a field test with a diverse population of 5th grade students in nine schools revealed that Think Like an Astronaut lessons are appropriate for an after-school environment, and may potentially help increase students’ STEM-related content knowledge and skills.

High-quality after-school programs devoted to science have the potential to enhance students' science knowledge and attitudes, which may impact their decisions about pursuing science-related careers. Due to the unique nature of these informal learning environments, an understanding of the relationships among aspects of students' content knowledge acquisition and attitudes toward science may aid in the development of effective science-related interventions. We investigated the impact of a semester-long after-school intervention utilizing an inquiry-based infectious diseases curriculum (designed for use after-school) on 63 urban students' content knowledge and aspects of their attitudes towards science. Content knowledge increased 24.6% from pre- to posttest. Multiple regression analyses indicated suggested that the "self-directed effort" subscale of the Simpson-Troost Attitude Questionnaire - Revised best predicted increases in students' science content knowledge. The construct "science is fun for me" served as a suppressor effect. These findings suggest that future after-school programs focusing on aspects of attitudes toward science most closely associated with gains in content knowledge might improve students' enthusiasm and academic preparedness for additional science coursework by improving student attitudes towards their perceptions of their self-directed effort.