Precollege Years Research Articles

Celebrating Differences: A Conjoint Analysis of Senior Year Mechanical Engineering Students’ Occupational Preferences

AbstractGiven its ongoing struggles at attaining demographic diversity and its key role in nations’ economies, the engineering workforce receives considerable attention from researchers and policymakers. Yet, prior studies and STEM recruitment initiatives have often underemphasized the variety among available engineering jobs and careers. It therefore remains unclear which attributes of engineering work are most salient in shaping students’ choices to persist in or depart from engineering pathways. This study introduces a novel conjoint survey experiment conducted with over 1000 senior year mechanical engineering students. This randomized experiment allows the authors to disentangle supply-side and demand-side factors to assess engineering job attributes’ marginal influences on students’ occupational preferences, as well as to examine these attributes’ interaction effects with supply-side factors. Toward strengthening persistence in engineering pathways, findings suggest that broad STEM recruitment initiatives, though potentially advantageous in pre-college years, should give way to more targeted campaigns that increase university students’ awareness about key dimensions of variety across engineering work roles.

The effects of prior informal science and math experiences on undergraduate STEM identity

ABSTRACT Background Recent reports have noted a need for increasing both the recruitment and retention of young people into the STEM disciplines. While many studies have reported on the benefits of classroom reform in formal education environments, less is known about the role of informal education programs in young people’s academic aspirations, interest and competence in science and math domains. Purpose We examine the relationship between previous involvement in programs in informal science and math environments (ISMEs) and academic aspirations, competence and self-reported interest/engagement in science and math domains for college-aged young adults. Sample Participants included students (N = 750) at a major university in the southeast United States who were enrolled in an introductory biology course. The course was taught across five sections with separate instructors with similar training and teaching style and was populated by a majority of first year students majoring in STEM fields. Design and Methods Participants were asked to complete a survey during the first week of the semester to assess their participation in ISME programs during their pre-college years and to measure their academic aspirations, and expectations as well as their science and math perceived competence, interest and engagement. Results Young people who report participation in ISME programs prior to college report higher academic aspirations, feel more competent in science and math domains, and report increased interest and a greater engagement with science and math topics. Conclusions Outcomes posit the importance of participation in ISME programs as a possible means of promoting prolonged interest and involvement in the fields of science and math into students’ early university careers.

Examining Summer Laboratory Research Apprenticeships for High School Students as a Factor in Entry to MD/PhD Programs at Matriculation.

Do summer laboratory research apprenticeships during high school have an impact on entry into MD/PhD programs? Apart from the nearly decade-long span of time between high school and matriculation into an MD/PhD program, young people have many life-shaping experiences that presumably impact their education and career trajectories. This quantitative study (n = 236,432) examines the connection between early laboratory research apprenticeship experiences at the high school level and matriculation into one of the more rigorous educational programs for scientific research training. The span of time covered by this analysis reaches across more than a decade, examining the potential importance of research experiences during the precollege years in the educational trajectory of young people. Intertwined with this question on research experiences is a second major concern regarding diversity in the life sciences research corps. Diversity in this wide-ranging discipline refers specifically to the underrepresentation of Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latino/as, and American Indians/Alaska Natives among the ranks of research scientists. Thus, this study includes analyses that specifically focus on research apprenticeships of Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics/Latino/as and their entrance into MD/PhD programs.

Engineering curriculum in the preschool classroom: the teacher's experience

The study presented here focuses on the development of an early education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum with emphasis on engineering. This article presents the teacher's experience as she undertook the task of familiarising herself with the new content and using the curriculum in a university based lab-school classroom in the US. More specifically, the article describes and analyses the collaboration between the teacher and the curriculum developer. It also presents facilitators and barriers during the implementation, as identified by the teacher and the researchers, reports on the multiple stakeholders involved, and raises questions for future research. Engineering education in the precollege years is a developing academic discipline that stems from the need to understand and improve the ways engineers are formally educated. The belief of early experiences as determinants of later experiences has long constituted a basis of educational planning. Therefore, identifying the appropriate age and manner in which early childhood education becomes part of engineering education, is very important in the current climate.

Advances in the model of hierarchical complexity (MHC).

The model of hierarchical complexity (MHC) has a long history that only in very recent years resulted in its formal specification as a general model. A brief history of the origins of the notion of hierarchical complexity follows. This is done in order to identify what the steps were and also those who played key roles in the model’s development over these many years. In tracing the evolution of the MHC, there are four periods, each involving different people. The two earliest periods were Commons’ pre-college years, college and graduate school years, followed by a period of more active and direct development from 1973 to 1982. After the model was developed, there were advances in the period from 1982 to present.

Gerald M. Reaven, MD: Demonstration of the central role of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Gerald M. Reaven, MD, could easily be epitomized as the “Father of Insulin Resistance.” (For those who do not know Dr. Reaven, he would humbly raise objection to being called Dr. Reaven rather than Jerry.) That said, Jerry is credited with developing the insulin suppression test, the first quantitative method to measure insulin-mediated glucose uptake in humans (1). Using this technique, he established the importance of insulin resistance in human disease, and importantly, in type 2 diabetes (2,3). In nondiabetic individuals, he demonstrated the role of insulin resistance/compensatory hyperinsulinemia in the development of 1 ) hypertriglyceridemia (4) and low HDL concentrations (5), 2 ) decreased urinary uric acid clearance and hyperuricemia (6), 3 ) decreased LDL particle diameter (7), 4 ) enhanced postprandial lipemia and remnant lipoprotein accumulation (8), 5 ) increased levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (9), 6 ) salt sensitivity (10), 7 ) essential hypertension (11), and 8 ) increased sympathetic nervous system activity (12). In addition to emphasizing the role of insulin resistance/compensatory hyperinsulinemia in increasing the likelihood of an individual developing one or more of the consequences listed above, he first pointed out the clustering of these abnormalities. It is clear now that this group of clinical abnormalities, initially designated Syndrome X, is an important factor leading to cardiovascular disease. Syndrome X was introduced to the medical community in his now famous Banting Lecture in 1988 (13) and only later became known as metabolic syndrome. Jerry was born in Gary, IN, on 28 July 1928, but spent most of his precollege years living in Cleveland, OH, thus accounting for his lifelong allegiance to the Cleveland Indians baseball team and a great deal of frustration on his part during their many less-than-stellar seasons. Jerry matriculated at the University of Chicago and graduated in 1949, also the year of his marriage to his …

College Student Leadership Development: An Examination of Pre-college Leadership Development of African Students in the United States

The number of continental African college students in U.S. colleges and universities has grown tremendously, making it imperative for their host institutions to understand their unique leadership development needs in order to serve them effectively. This qualitative study examined the pre-college leadership development of African students in U.S. colleges and universities. Four themes that describe the experiences that influenced the leadership development of the participants during their pre-college years emerged from the data: family, church, African cultures, and high school influences. The study is based on a 2006-2007 sample of African students at a mid-size, midwestern U.S. university.Keywords: college leadership development, African college students, international students, pre-college leadership developmentU.S. colleges and universities are home to over half a million international students. Of the 580,000 international students that were enrolled in U.S. universities and colleges in 2002, more than 37,724 were African students (Arthur, 2004; Blake, 2006). According to the Institute of International Education (HE), 37,062 African students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in 2010 (HE, 2010), and their number continues to grow despite a slight decline in 2010.Students from Africa play a significant role in U.S. higher education. For example, they bring millions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year. They also work in various capacities such as research and teaching assistants. Moreover, their diverse perspectives contribute to the globalization of American higher education thereby helping to improve the quality of teaching, research, and cross-cultural learning on U.S. university campuses (HE, 2010).Similar to other student populations, African students in the U.S. are involved in student leadership development programs offered by their colleges. Such programs include curricular leadership programs (commonly known as leadership studies) and out-of-class experiential leadership programs such as service learning, community service, mentorship, and internships (Cress et al., 2001; Dugan, 2006; Hall, Scott, & Borzl, 2008; Manyibe, 2007). Other on campus opportunities for students to develop their leadership potential includes participation in student organizations. For example, at the anonymous M-University where the current study was conducted, there are more than 300 registered student organizations that provide great opportunities for students to be involved, build networks, meet people, have fun, and ultimately foster their leadership skills. The effort to develop the leadership of college students is supported by studies that show that college life is one of the most important stages for the psycho-social, cognitive, moral, and leadership development of college students (Cress et al., 2001; Logue, Hutchens, & Hector, 2005; Manyibe, 2007).Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the leadership development of college students in the U.S. Most of these studies (e.g., Dugan, 2006; Kimbrough & Hutcheson, 1998; Terenzini et al., 1996) have focused on White, Latino, and African American students. Unfortunately, not much work has been documented on international African students' college leadership development experiences in these colleges and universities. Moreover, a review of the literature yielded no study that focuses on the pre-college leadership development of African students. The current study, therefore, examined the pre-college leadership experiences of African college students studying at U.S. universities. The study was guided by the following two research questions: (a) What pre-college experiences influence the leadership development of African students at U.S. colleges and universities? and (b) How do these experiences impact these students' leadership development?Theoretical ModelA modified version of the college impact theoretical framework (Terenzini et al. …

Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Stories (review)

Reviewed by: Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Stories Vasti Torres Andrew Garrod, Robert Kilkenny, and Christina Gómez. Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Stories. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007. 260 pp. Cloth: $55.00. ISBN: 978-0-8014-7386-9. The interest in understanding the college experiences of Latino/a college students has generated [End Page 151] much attention recently in the literature. Mi Voz, Mi Vida consists of 15 stories of self-identified Latino/a college students from Dartmouth College. The students were drawn from a sociology course taught by Andrew Gómez or an education course taught by Christina Garrod, two of the three editors. In both courses, students were expected to focus on some issue of race or ethnicity. To understand the contribution this book has within higher education as well as the positionality of the editors, it is important to note that the same primary editor has also published similar books with stories of Asian Americans (Garrod & Kilkenny, 2007), Native Americans (Erdich, Garrod, & Larimore, 1997), and African Americans (Garrod, 1999). The structure of the book groups the stories by four themes: (a) resilience: the struggle to be strong, (b) biculturalism: on both sides of the border, (d) mentoring: the “someone in my life,” and (d) Latino identities: becoming and unbecoming Latino. Each of these themes represents the “challenges of growing up Latino” (p. 2). In their introduction, the editors provide some insight into how the stories were written and some vague information about how they were selected for inclusion. The editors describe the need for these stories to be told as being linked to a shared “identity as Latinos in a time and place where little is expected from them” (p. 2). Of the 15 stories, men wrote 10 and five were by women. They all share the personal experiences and challenges that eventually brought them to their Ivy League college. While the stories are interesting to read, the depth and richness varies greatly. One of particular interest that would lend itself well to the classroom was José García’s “The Hatred Within.” It’s a good example of what many theorists and researchers posit about the identity of an individual from a marginalized group. García writes with great passion of the conflicts that emerge during this identity development process. Other stories focus on the college years while still others deal with pre-college years. Issues of alcoholism, abuse, and poverty come up in the stories; and at times, the experiences are those of any college student, not just Latino/a college students. Each of the stories includes descriptions of challenges the students found in their environments and, for some, the role that low socio-economic status played in their lives. All of these students had high levels of academic achievement, which certainly influenced their potential for success. It was disappointing not to see this issue of academic success more thoroughly discussed in the context of overcoming the challenges students faced. The editors “hope that readers of this anthology are engaged by the particularity and detail of these stories while at the same time connecting with the individual human experience” (p. ix). The term “anthology” is the best description of this book, since it only organizes the stories but does not attempt to provide any of the insights that researchers and faculty in higher education might expect. The lack of information about how the stories were selected or the positionality of the editors in choosing the stories they did represents another limitation, since such information is important to researchers and faculty, also providing insight into the editors’ intent of how these stories could be used as educational tools. Instead this volume just tells the stories. While the stories alone may be of interest, another missing element is interpretation or guidance about how these students managed their own developmental issues or the types of things institutions could do to enhance their adjustment and academic success. Some of the stories could serve as examples of the Latino/a college student experience in classroom settings. For those enjoying personal narrative without interpretation, this book will be of great...

Education at the National Academies: Three Recent Reports on Improving Science Education

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), with its requirements for increased testing, accountability, and teacher quality, coupled with concerns about the performance of U.S. students on national and international examinations and the future of the scientific workforce, are resulting in a greater level of scrutiny of the performance of education in both the secondary grades and higher education. This increased attention has focused especially on the quality and level of mathematics and science education that students are receiving during their high school and college years. This is a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that concerns about science education are becoming especially focused and rising to a level of concern in the Congress and other parts of the federal government that rarely have been seen before. This increased attention is due in part to lackluster performance on national and international examinations, which becomes more glaring as U.S. students progress through their precollege years. It is also related to the realization by education officials in states and local school districts, who have worked since the inception of NCLB to improve student performance in reading and mathematics, that they now must also demonstrate similar improvements in science beginning in the 2007–2008 school year. There's nothing quite like testing coupled with accountability to get people's attention! The potentially bad news is that if science is tested poorly, the messages that those statewide tests convey to teachers, parents, and school administrators about what is important for students to know and be able to do in science could result in a setback for the kinds of science education that have been promoted for precollege and undergraduate education during the past decade by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS; 1993 , 1997 , 2001 ; see also Rutherford and Ahlgren, 1990 ), National Research Council (NRC; 1996 , 1997 , 1999 , 2000 , 2001a , b ), National Science Foundation (NSF; e.g., 1996 ), and other organizations (National Science Teachers Association, 2000 , 2001 , 2003 ). The problem becomes especially thorny when trying to decide whether and how to assess students' knowledge and skills that are learned in science laboratories. If the adage that what is valuable is that which is measured, then science assessments that do not require or emphasize specific laboratory skills could result in a scaling back or even the demise of a component of science courses that many see as too expensive, potentially dangerous, and of dubious educational value, although others see laboratory experience as the core of any science program. But what kinds of knowledge and skills should be tested? Is there any consensus about what the goals and outcomes of teaching laboratories should be for high school and college students, especially for those students who do not aspire to careers in science, mathematics, or engineering? Can the why and how of testing laboratory skills be informed by a body of research? This confluence of events has resulted in requests from members of Congress or the National Science Foundation for the National Academies1 to investigate these critical issues, leading to the issuance of three reports during fall/winter 2005, which I describe in this article. These reports are as follows: Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (National Academy of Sciences [NAS] et al., 2005 ) Systems for State Science Assessment (NRC, 2005b ) America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science (NRC, 2005a )

Custer and Me: A Historian's Memoir by Robert M. Utley

with his fellow explorer,George Shannon, sit ting in the jurybox. Few readerswill be familiar with all of the vignettes thatMorris includes, such as the experiences of William Bratton and John Ordway with thehorrendous New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. As might be expected, one ofMorris's lon gest chapters deals with themysterious 1809 death of Meriwether Lewis on the Natchez Trace, theunimproved wilderness trailthatconnected Natchez on the Mississippi Riverwith Nashville on theCumberland River.Morris writes as ifit isproven factLewis killed himself. Indeed, the cause of his death remains a mystery, even if Stephen E. Ambrose and others proclaim oth erwise.ToMorris's credit,however, he includes a section of documents and bibliography per taining to the debate over thedemise of Lewis in the appendices. In his brief prologue, Morris does an ex cellent job of placing his work in the context of the six decades that span the careers of the members of theCorps following itsarrivalback in St. Louis. Following the table of contents is a detailed chronology that begins on August 31,1803, and ends on April 2,1870. Appendix 1 contains thevital statisticsof the members of the expedition plus a listof the temporaryparty that returnedwith thekeelboat from FortMandan when the others began the trekacross the con tinentaldivide. Appendix 2 relates to thedeath of Lewis, and Appendix 3 treats the controversy surrounding the fateof Sacagawea. Though Morris presents his material in a lively, pleasing, and ? when appropriate ? moving prose, now and then he takes a bit of literarylicense. For instance, Idoubt thatany witness everdescribed exactlywhat kind ofboat Meriwether Lewis took from St. Louis on his final tripdown the Mississippi River, that moss draped from the treesup in thehilly section of the Natchez Trace, or that the rustic, rough-hewn Grinder's Stand out in thewilderness where he died in 1809had a sign at the entrance. Because this reviewer has high praise for the book, he writes the previous sentences with a smile. Custer andMe: A Historians Memoir By Robert M. Utley University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2004. Illustrations, maps, index. 288 pages. $37.95 cloth. Reviewed byArt G?mez National Park Service, Santa Fe,New Mexico Since the age of ten, the author confesses, thequixotic persona ofGeneral George Arm strongCuster has dominated? ifnot haunted ? his personal and professional life.Saturday afternoon matinees in Lafayette, Indiana, ex hilarated an impressionable youngster,frequent ventures to local libraries satiated his curious mind, and excursions west to experience the enduring mystic of his fallen hero influenced thecareerpath of a high-school teenager forthe remainder ofhis life. With everyturnof thepage, thereader learns much from thiscandid, highly readable recollec tion of Robert Marshall Utley ? theman, the consummate bureaucrat, and the internationally acclaimed author.With characteristic literary flare, Utley sharespersonal insightintohis fam ilybackground and admits to less-than-sterling academic and athletic performance during his pre-college years. It isnot uncommon tohave had exceptional personalities influence the outcome of one's life. Throughout Utley's pivotal career,however, the listof celebritieswhom he repeatedly cites 68o OHQ vol. 106, no. 4 as "my good friend" reads like a veritable list of "Who'sWho" in the public and the private sectors. The legendary first superintendent of Custer Battlefield, "Captain" Edward S. Luce, former National Park Servicedirectors?Conrad Wirth, George B.Hartzog, and RussellDickenson ? celebratednovelistNorman Maclean, revered western historianRayAllen Billington, andNew York publisher Alfred Knopf (who,with famed journalistBernard deVoto, servedon the Interior Department's advisory board) are among those who intercededat the most propitious moment to furtherthe author's career. Still,with every opportunity thatcame hisway,Utley proved to be deeply resolvedand eminentlycapable to meet each challenge. His briefbut extremelyproductive tenure in the U.S. Army'sHistory Section of theJoint Chiefs of Staffenabled theauthor tohone researchand writing skillsthat would servehimwell through out his professional life. A fulltimecareer with the National Park Service,from 1957to 1980,enabled Utley's personal involvement inforginga revital ized,expansionist federalagencygrounded on the premise ofhistoricpreservation law. As Southwest Regional Historian, Utley personally certifieda half-dozen historic sites suitable for inclusion in theNational Parks system. As the agency's chief historian, his ideas and written narrativewere incorporated intopioneering legislation for the preservation and protection of officiallydesig nated historic structures. Throughout his public life, Utley...

A Promise Deferred

Statistics are presented revealing the insufficient growth of students enrolled in engineering in general and civil engineering in particular since 1985. The percentage of women and members of minorities in engineering schools, however, has increased during this period. Since the overall population growth of minorities is growing at a rapid pace, it is stressed that more should be done to channel students from these groups into engineering and science careers. This means raising academic standards and performance during the precollege years to ensure that students who graduate from high school have a background in math and science that will enable them to pursue a technical degree. The work being done by various organizations in this area is surveyed, and the important role played by minority engineering program administrators at engineering institutions is cited.

Effects of Perceptions and Mentorship on Pursuing a Career in Academic Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology

To understand the perceptions of residents and Fellows in obstetrics and gynecology about the impacts of race or ethnicity, gender, and mentorship experiences on pursuing careers in academic medicine. Two surveys were administered: one to a sample of 2,000 Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and one to the 4,814 obstetrics and gynecology residents taking the 1998 in-training examination. The questionnaires asked about demographics, perceptions about careers in academic medicine, and residents' experiences with mentorship. Response rates were 96.8% for residents and 40.6% for FELLOWS: Of the residents, 26.1% indicated they would not consider a career in academic medicine. First-year women residents were more inclined to pursue careers in academic medicine than were first-year men (p =.042), but their interest declined during residency. Women residents (43%)-especially minorities-felt that men were mentored and recruited more for faculty positions, while men (38%) felt that women were mentored and recruited more. Fellows' reports of recruitment did not differ by gender. Most white residents did not perceive racial or ethnic bias in mentoring or recruiting, while most non-white residents did. Almost one third of non-white women residents felt that supervisors were more likely to condescend to women and minority individuals. It is likely that neither men nor women residents in obstetrics and gynecology receive adequate mentorship for careers in academic medicine. Perceptions of bias are a serious barrier to developing racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in leadership positions.

Women's college physical activity and self-reports of physician-diagnosed depression and of current symptoms of psychiatric distress.

It is believed that physical activity is protective against depression. This paper investigates the association between women's athletic activity in the college and precollege years and physician-diagnosed depression in postcollege years. College alumnae (n = 3940), former college athletes and nonathletes, completed a detailed self-administered questionnaire that sought information on health histories up to the present time, including questions on history of physician-diagnosed depression and current symptoms of psychiatric distress. A negative association between college athletic activity and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression in the last 10 years was observed (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.664, with 95% confidence limits [CL] 0.545, 0.808, p < 0.0001). Other factors significantly associated with depression are living with a spouse, at time of reporting-protective; self-rated current health good to poor compared with very good or excellent; alcoholism; and having a doctoral degree-risk factors. Current state variables based on the Rand Mental Health Inventory-5 (RMHI-5) were also more favorable among athletes. This is the first study to report a long-term beneficial association between women's college athletic activity and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression in the postcollege years and current symptoms of psychiatric distress. The findings support the Surgeon General's promotion of the health benefits of physical activity.

Physics education

More than one hundred delegates from twenty-nine nations met in the UNESCO House in Paris, July 28–August 4, to discuss problems in physics education and to compare activities in the various countries. The conference was organized under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. Representatives came from Finland and Canada in the north to Australia, South Africa, and Chile “down below”, from Japan, India, Russia, Turkey, and most of the European states. Education at both the secondary-school and college levels was considered with major attention given to the pre-college years.