Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Workforce Research Articles

The STEM pipeline: pathways and influences on participation and achievement of equity groups

ABSTRACT Skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are promoted by the Australian government as pivotal for Australia’s economic prosperity. Research on equity groups suggests that group membership is associated with several factors linked to ‘leakage’ from the STEM pipeline of school, university and transition to work. In this paper we draw on longitudinal Australian data to understand what factors influence the participation of equity group students in university STEM courses, and to explore how the STEM pathways of those groups differ from those of non-equity students. We identified several important factors which influence participation at two critical points of the STEM pipeline; transition from school into university, and transition from university into the STEM workforce. Our results indicated that higher levels of mathematics self-concept and instrumental valuing of mathematics in early adolescence predict continuation in the STEM pathway for all students and particularly those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Familia, Comunidad y Maestros: How I Became a Latina Science Professor.

AbstractPeople of Mexican origin in the United States have long experienced discrimination in wages, housing, and schooling, which directly impacts their participation in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. Using interviews of Latina scientists and teachers, autoethnography, family and newspaper archives, and history and social science research, I reflect on key aspects of Mexican and Mexican American history that contribute to the challenges faced by Latinos in the US educational system today. Analysis of my own educational trajectory reveals the hidden part that teacher role models in my community and in my family played in my journey to becoming a scientist. Latina teachers and faculty, middle school science programs, and the provisioning of stipends for undergraduate researchers are emphasized as strategies for increasing student retention and success. The article concludes with several suggestions for how the ecology and evolutionary biology community can amplify the educational success of Latinos in STEM by supporting the training of Latino and other minoritized science, math, and computer science teachers.

Investing in the STEM workforce: microbiological safety in Australian secondary schools

Microbiology is increasingly being incorporated into secondary school biology curricula, an important component of science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) training. The microbiological competency of teachers and the availability of skilled laboratory technicians that understand the risks involved and the reasoning behind restrictions to protocols is vital for the safe execution of microbiology experiments in secondary schools. The addition of gene-modification experiments to microbiology curricula increases the complexity of experimental set-up and potentially exacerbates existing deficiencies in laboratory technique and disinfection practice. There is currently no targeted national program to up-skill school science teachers or laboratory technicians, which can leave these staff in vulnerable positions if they are asked to co-ordinate experiments that are beyond their expertise. It is important that such training is available, preferably as part of well-planned professional development and that continued online support is provided to answer questions swiftly and assist STEM school staff to conduct microbiology experiments safely. Improved integration between universities and high schools can be beneficial in this regard, not only in the safe teaching of microbiology in schools, but also in collaborative links formed between secondary schools and universities.

Educational Strategies for Improved Enrolment into STEM Programs in Kenyan Technical and Vocational Education Training

Advanced nations have focused a lot of attention and effort on establishing effective STEM educational practices and preparing students to enter the STEM workforce in recognition of the importance of the STEM workforce. Within the current educational paradigms, learning concepts like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) continue to emerge. With its integrated approach that involves students in systematic inquiries that call for cross-disciplinary knowledge, STEM education is currently one of the most up-to-date subjects in line with 21st century learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate educational strategies for increased student enrollment at TVET colleges in Kenya. This research has used analysis of secondary data and review of several current literatures from different documents and articles. From the review, the researchers were able to conclude that that in order to increase the number of STEM students enrolled in TVET institutions in Kenya, these institutions should establish partnerships with relevant businesses to help them absorb the yearly production of new graduates into the labor market for internships and subsequent employment. In order to promote students’ enrollment in STEM programs at tertiary institutions, the government of the Republic of Kenya should also run mentorship programs through the ministry of education. From primary to secondary and finally tertiary levels, this should start.

A Social Media Analytics Framework to Increase Prospective Students’ Interests in STEM and TVET Education

Recently, the promotion of Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has become the highlight due to the shortage in the STEM workforce. Surprisingly, the enrolment rates in STEM degrees are still low in many countries. Social media has been identified as one of the main platforms that can help to increase prospective students’ interest in STEM and also Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) subjects. However, very little research has been done for the higher education institutions in Malaysia in leveraging social media and social media analytics effectively to increase the students’ interests and awareness of STEM and TVET disciplines. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a framework to increase prospective students’ interest in STEM and TVET using social media and big data analytics. The objectives of this study are to explore various social media applications in education and study these applications towards increasing students’ interests and propose a suitable framework for Malaysian higher education institutions. The framework is proposed by following the theory synthesis methodology. Four main components of the framework have been proposed, namely social media, role model or mentoring, massive open online courses and big data analytics. Each component is significant and requires a considerable amount of time to develop. The suggested framework is anticipated to benefit higher education institutions with a significant gain of the number of students, revenues and positive reputations.
 
 Keywords: Social media, Social media analytics, STEM, E-learning, Education

Multi-institutional study of GRE scores as predictors of STEM PhD degree completion: GRE gets a low mark.

The process of selecting students likely to complete science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs has not changed greatly over the last few decades and still relies heavily on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in most U.S. universities. It has been long debated whether the GRE is an appropriate selection tool and whether overreliance on GRE scores may compromise admission of students historically underrepresented in STEM. Despite many concerns about the test, there are few studies examining the efficacy of the GRE in predicting PhD completion and even fewer examining this question in STEM fields. For the present study, we took advantage of a long-lived collaboration among institutions in the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) to gather comparable data on GRE scores and PhD completion for 1805 U.S./Permanent Resident STEM doctoral students in four state flagship institutions. We found that GRE Verbal (GRE V) and GRE Quantitative (GRE Q) scores were similar for women who completed STEM PhD degrees and those who left programs. Remarkably, GRE scores were significantly higher for men who left than counterparts who completed STEM PhD degrees. In fact, men in the lower quartiles of GRE V or Q scores finished degrees more often than those in the highest quartile. This pattern held for each of the four institutions in the study and for the cohort of male engineering students across institutions. GRE scores also failed to predict time to degree or to identify students who would leave during the first year of their programs. Our results suggests that GRE scores are not an effective tool for identifying students who will be successful in completing STEM doctoral programs. Considering the high cost of attrition from PhD programs and its impact on future leadership for the U.S. STEM workforce, we suggest that it is time to develop more effective and inclusive admissions strategies.

A (dis)course in postdoc identities

Education Adapting postdoctoral training to include the development of skills that are translatable to careers outside of the laboratory is critical for diversifying the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. We do not know much about the scientific identities of

Not all STEM teachers work in a classroom

Workforce There are many ways to develop the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. The CalTeach program integrates evidence, best practices of pedagogy, internship, and reflection to provide opportunities for students to explore STEM teaching. Whang-Sayson et al.

NSF supports new internships in business and policy

The scientific community has long sought ways to diversify the experiences of graduate students beyond universities. More than half of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) doctoral graduates end up working outside academia, according to the 2016 Science & Engineering Indicators report. Now NSF has announced it will sponsor graduate student research internships in fields outside academia. The internships are designed “to ensure graduate students are prepared for the 21st-century STEM workforce,” according to the letter announcing the program. Funding will be available to graduate students working for NSF-funded principal investigators supported through several directorates, including those for Engineering and Education & Human Resources. A few examples of places that could host NSF-sponsored interns include industry research labs, start-ups, government agencies, national laboratories, think tanks, and nonprofits.

Operating in the Middle: The Experiences of African American Female Transfer Students in STEM Degree Programs at HBCUs

ABSTRACTIncreasing the representation of African American females is essential to ensure the United States (U.S.) remains a viable competitor in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. With minorities anticipated to represent half of the resident U.S population by 2050, fostering STEM talent among this population is vital. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) educate a large population of African Americans in STEM, with a large representation of this population entering via the community college. Understanding the experiences of African American female transfer students in STEM from the community college to the HBCU is essential. Utilizing the interplay of the Undergraduate Socialization Theory and the Triple Quandary Theory, this study explores the experiences of African American female community college transfer students into HBCUs, with a particular focus on the community college experiences that impacted their successful transition into STEM degree programs at the HBCU. Implications are provided based on the overall results of this study.

Strategies for Broadening Participation in Advanced Technological Education Programs: Practice and Perceptions

ABSTRACTExpanding and diversifying the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce is a national priority. The National Science Foundation is investing efforts at post secondary education institutions to engage individuals who have been historically underrepresented in STEM. This paper investigated the use of strategies to broaden participation in STEM by grantees of NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE), who are primarily located at 2-year colleges. The ATE program focuses on developing and improving technician training programs to prepare students for employment in fields that rely on advanced technologiessuch as nanotechnology, photonics, and mechatronics. A survey, conducted annually by the authors of this study, was used to collect data from ATE grantees on their use and perceptions of strategies to broaden participation in STEM. The findings showed that strategies related to motivation and access to enhance recruitment are more widely used then strategies that improve retention. Respondents identified strategies related to providing financial assistance, mentoring, and conducting outreach activities as the most effective for reaching and engaging underrepresented minority students in academic programs. Despite these perceptions, these strategies seem to be underutilized among this group.

Exploring the Science Attitudes of Urban Diverse Gifted Middle School Students

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a central focus in science education, research, economics and politics. With this increased focus on STEM, it is important to know urban gifted students’ perceptions and attitudes toward science. Overall, these 6th and 8th grade gifted students reported a lack of interest in science. This is troubling, if we want to see more diversity in the science professions. One group, minority girls, did provide a bright spot in their responses which had not been commonly reported in the research literature. They liked science the most and were positive about science, which was encouraging. To develop a diverse STEM workforce, it is imperative to provide the quality of education and means to support all students interested in pursuing these fields, including urban diverse gifted students.

<em>A Balancing Act: Impacting and Initiating the Success of African American Female Community College Transfer Students in STEM into the HBCU Environment</em>

IntroductionHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play a critical role in the educational experiences of African Americans. Of the top 20 leading producers of African American bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, all but three are HBCUs (Borden & Brown 2004). In 2010, HBCUs were the source of 17.6% of all bachelor's degrees to African Americans but 19.2% of the bachelor's degrees to African Americans in STEM fields. HBCUs are also a relatively more important source of STEM degrees for African American women than African American men. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF, 2013), 15.8% of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to African American women in 2010 were from HBCUs, compared to only 14.5% of bachelor degrees in STEM fields awarded to African American men. Coupled with these findings is the large number of African American women enrolled in our nation's community colleges. According to NSF (2013), there has been almost a 50% increase of African American females at community colleges. This insinuates that a large portion of African American female STEM talent will be entering the HBCU environment through the community college environment. For the purpose of this study Black and African American will be used interchangeably throughout.Given the aforementioned statistics on the underrepresentation of African American females in math- and science-related areas, and the role of community colleges and HBCUs in the success of African American females, it is surprising that the literature is bleak regarding the representation of African American female community college transfer students who are enrolled at HBCUs and their overall experiences as a transfer student in STEM. In fact, Hawkins (2013) asserted that according to the Association of American Community Colleges and the Center for the Study of Community Colleges data on the number of community college students who transfer to HBCUs aren't tracked (para. 13). With a large representation of African American students entering four-year HBCUs through the community college environment, examining and exploring the experiences of this population will assist in highlighting factors that positively impact their successful transfer from the community college into the four-year HBCU environment. This study draws attention to a very unique population-African American female community college transfer students in STEM disciplines at a four-year HBCU.The literature is explicit regarding the need to increase the representation of students of color in STEM in the United States. This urgency emerges from the current shortage of competent individuals in math- and science-related fields. The projection that minorities will represent about half of the resident United States population by 2050 (Ortman & Guameri, 2009) makes this population a viable option for fulfilling many of the jobs in the STEM workforce. Even with this urgency, completion rates for African-American, Hispanic, Native American and low-income students are lower than the overall numbers in STEM-related areas (Bailey & Alfonso, 2005, p. 5). This indicates that we are losing a very talented population of students of color at every educational level and in many STEM content areas. Additionally, the National Science Foundation revealed that female and minority students are behind compared to their male and race majority counterparts in achieving degrees in the STEM areas (NSF, 2013). More specifically, female participation in engineering and computer science remains below 30% and since 2000, the representation of underrepresented minorities has remained flat in the physical sciences and has dropped in mathematics (NSF, 2013).Using the Triple Quandary Theory (Boykin & Toms,1985) and its interplay among three tenets: (a) mainstream experience, (b) Black cultural socialization and (c) the minority socialization experience; the purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of seven African American community college female transfer students who are currently enrolled at an HBCU in a STEM bachelor's degree program. …