Abstract
The present study explores demographics, pre-college characteristics and multi-year (2003-2013) tracking of a census of 53,077 students who initially declared a STEM major upon entering a research university in Texas and seeks to predict graduation with a STEM and non-STEM degree. Guided by QuantCrit theory, we use multilevel models to determine factors that predicted persistence in any major and factors that predicted persistence in STEM, as well as use marginal effects to explore the intersection of ethnicity, sex, and first-generation status. Results highlight the disparity that exist amongst Black students and their White counterparts with regards to persistence in any major. We also highlight the gap between first-generation White and Black first-generation females and their Asian and International counterparts with regards to persistence in STEM. Implications for future research and practitioners suggest further attention needs to be paid to Black first-generation students.
Highlights
It has been over a decade after the initial Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007) report, which initially raised questions about the future of the United States (US) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and the fields are still struggling to figure out how to meet the needs of a diverse society by recruiting our nation’s brightest minds (OCGA, 2019)
While the reader may see this and think that our results potentially provide a skewed perception of STEM persistence at this university being that other studies have used more traditional STEM fields, we contend that is crucial that “traditional” STEM majors should be well-rounded in the humanities
This study examined factors that predicted STEM persistence at a large, research university in the US Southwest
Summary
It has been over a decade after the initial Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007) report, which initially raised questions about the future of the United States (US) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and the fields are still struggling to figure out how to meet the needs of a diverse society by recruiting our nation’s brightest minds (OCGA, 2019). A report by the National Academy of Sciences, Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees (2016), stated that in the pursuit of a STEM higher education, all undergraduates who are “interested in a STEM credential should be afforded the opportunity to earn the credential they seek with a minimum of obstacles” (p.8). To meet this need, undergraduate STEM degree attainment must be increased, keeping in mind the systemic barriers many universities place on minoritized students, which are not always measurable
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