Fostering youth voice means supporting young people in expressing their ideas, taking ownership of their learning, and engaging with their communities in meaningful and impactful ways. Out-of-school-time (OST) science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs have long provided these opportunities, empowering youth to drive their learning forward and see themselves as active contributors to the world around them. In recent years, classroom settings have also increased emphasis on encouraging students to share their ideas and using them to help further advance student understanding. For the promotion of youth voice to be successful, OST program facilitators and classroom teachers need a common understanding of what quality looks and sounds like and support for implementing higher-quality instructional strategies. For well over a decade, the Dimensions of Success (DoS) observation system has provided such support in OST settings and, more recently, in middle-grade classrooms. In this article, we first demonstrate how DoS defines quality Youth Voice in OST and classroom settings through four vignettes based on observations of grade 5–8 classrooms and OST program observations, then provide strategies for educators to promote higher-quality Youth Voice by building on youth ideas and encouraging decision-making that drives their STEM learning forward.
Oliveira, V., Andrews, V., Allen, P. J., & Noam, G. G. (2025). “It would be cool to make up my own activities”: Youth voice in STEM teaching and learning. Connected Science Learning, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/24758779.2025.2525822