Fostering Early Interest in Science via a 7-Week STEM Program for Youth: An Impact-Based Whitepaper

The Doctor Discovery Program is a 7-week virtual, near-peer mentored educational intervention designed to improve elementary and middle school students’ understanding of human body systems while fostering early interest in science and medicine. The program targeted a diverse cohort of 46 students aged 8-14 (mean age = 10) with balanced gender representation. Weekly modules covered seven body systems and combined live Zoom instruction with gamified review activities and hands-on learning kits. Program effectiveness was evaluated using a survey-based, observational design that included pre- and post-program knowledge assessments, student and parent post-program surveys, Likert-scale measures and perceived learning. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, standard error calculations, and correlation analyses.Results indicated a significant improvement in knowledge scores, increasing from a pre-test mean of 2.17/5 to a post-test mean of 4.34/5 (t(45)=18.46, p< 0.001, 95% CI [1.67, 2.07]), representing an 86.2% increase. Students reported high perceived learning (mean = 4.43/5) and moderate kit difficulty (mean = 2.48/5). Engagement data showed that 63.0% of participants reported increased interest in health and science, and 23.9% indicated career-related motivation. Gamified learning was identified as the most preferred feature by 50% of students, while 36.6% valued program structure the most. Implementation feedback highlighted both strengths and limitations. While multimodel delivery supported accessibility, participants reported technical issues (21.74%) and limited interaction (19.58%). A moderate negative correlation between age and perceived difficulty (r = -0.34) suggested developmental mismatch in certain modules, particularly more complex systems such as the endocrine system. In contrast, hands-on kits improved comprehension, with 32.6% of students identifying the respiratory module as easiest to understand. Overall, the findings suggest that structured, virtual, and multimodal STEM interventions can significantly improve foundational science knowledge and interest among young learners. However, results also emphasize the need for age-stratified instructional design and improved interactivity to maximize educational impact and accessibility in future implementations.