After-School STEM Programs and the Impact on 21st Century Skill Development

Abstract

This thesis used data collected from an online survey of 22 Code Ninjas employees in the United States to determine the impact of an after-school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program on students’ development of 21st-century skills. This study’s findings indicated most owners and Center Directors agree social skills and creative thinking skills are improved through enrollment in an after-school program like Code Ninjas. More than half of the participants shared first-hand accounts of instances where students demonstrated 21st-century skills while working in the Code Ninjas program.