Sustaining undergraduate-led science outreach: an explanatory case study of organizational continuity and knowledge brokerage in China

Undergraduate students are frequently involved in science outreach, yet many initiatives remain short-lived and organizationally fragile. Existing research has mainly examined participant outcomes or single-event interventions, paying less attention to how student-led outreach organizations sustain participation, preserve knowledge, and maintain partnerships over time. This study addresses that gap through an explanatory single-case study of a long-running undergraduate-led science outreach organization in China. Drawing on 27 months of multi-source data, including archival records, paired member surveys, semi-structured interviews, observations, and partner feedback, we examine how the organization has maintained continuous operation for more than two decades. The findings show that sustainability rests on four interrelated processes: cultivating member commitment and communicative capability; codifying reusable curricular and procedural artifacts; brokering science activities across schools, museums, and communities; and building legitimacy and leadership continuity. Rather than functioning simply as volunteers, undergraduate members act as science communication intermediaries who translate knowledge across settings. We argue that the continuity of student-led science outreach depends not only on motivation or institutional support, but also on organizational arrangements that connect internal learning, knowledge codification, external adaptation, and legitimacy.