STEM Degrees Research Articles

Investigation of Comparative Hispanic Student Success in Calculus I at Four State of Florida Universities

National employment data forecasts a significant need for graduates in the STEM disciplines for middle-income American jobs. If the American labor force is to keep pace with the global economy, it is critically important that American higher education increase STEM degree production. Currently, minority populations lack access and thus opportunity for success in higher education, but, among them, Hispanic groups account for about 59 million Americans, are the youngest demographic, and have the highest growth rate of any ethnic group. Hispanic students are inadequately represented in higher education enrollment numbers, graduation rates, graduate degree attainment, and STEM degree attainment. While only 14% of American institutions of higher education are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), 64% of Hispanic American college students attend an HSI. As a result, HSIs are in a unique position to improve student success in STEM disciplines. A statistical analysis of the grades of Hispanic and White students in an introductory STEM course, Calculus I, at two Florida HSI universities and two non-HSI universities, revealed 1) white students significantly outperformed Hispanic students in Calculus I at State of Florida non-HSIs and 2) white students did not outperform Hispanic students in Calculus I at State of Florida HSIs.

Antecedents and Consequences of Emotion Regulation in STEM Degree Programs

Antecedents and Consequences of Emotion Regulation in STEM Degree Programs

Self-efficacy, mindfulness, and self-compassion as predictors of math anxiety in undergraduate students

Many undergraduate students avoid mathematics classes due to math anxiety. This curtails options, particularly STEM majors where workers are needed and jobs are prevalent. This study aimed to investigate whether self-efficacy, mindfulness, and self-compassion predicted math anxiety. Participants of this study were undergraduate students (N = 345) from the Mathematics Department at a large Southeastern U.S. university. There was a significant difference in math anxiety scores between students pursuing STEM and non-STEM degrees. Non-STEM majors had higher scores on a measure of math anxiety. Hierarchical multiple regression results suggested that self-efficacy and self-compassion predicted math anxiety. There was a significant correlation, but not a predictive relationship, between mindfulness and math anxiety.

Global Education in STEM and Healthcare: Implications of COVID-19

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in March of 2020. Since then, most schools, colleges, and universities across the globe stopped delivering classes face-to-face and transitioned into virtual modalities of instruction. This reformation of academics has had an impact on every field of study, especially those students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and in the realm of healthcare education. Ranging from middle/high school to undergraduate and graduate programs, STEM degrees require intensive curricula integrating extensive lectures on theoretical topics and laboratory exercises to apply those concepts in a practical setting. Likewise, healthcare education involves hands-on, clinical lab components working on patients, guided by supervisors. The guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States recommended refraining from these physical learning environments since social distancing has been an important preventative measure against the contagion. As in-person classes, labs, and residencies across the world were disrupted, students, faculty, staff, and administrators of STEM and healthcare fields had to face and navigate multifarious challenges to continue the education effectively, while maintaining safety. This review encapsulates such effects of the pandemic on STEM and healthcare education in various countries. The analysis aims to provide an insight into the strategies of distance education and alternative pedagogies for these disciplines adopted by institutions globally in the light of COVID-19, which could potentially serve as a reference model during any future pandemics.

Finding Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for STEM Education Best Practices: When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

ABSTRACT The present study illustrates how select data can be organized to guide researchers to HSIs proficient at graduating Hispanics with STEM bachelor’s degrees to investigate best practices that less proficient HSIs can adopt for program improvement. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was the data source. The primary analytic consisted of the scatterplot, supplemented by Pearson correlation r and regression analysis. While the findings failed to support the Hispanic undergraduate Pell rate as an explanatory variable for Hispanic STEM degree production capacity as the response variable, in a new light, the findings were an ideal model for initiating best practices research. Guidelines on initiating a “thousand word” discourse on best practices among HSI stakeholders, common defining moments one should anticipate at site visits, as well as the limitations and assumptions of the approach are presented. Based on the data, if low performing HSIs met the minimum benchmark level identified, the model predicted an increase of 17,392 or 50.7% additional Hispanics with STEM degrees for the US academic, technical, and professional workforce.

Seeing Yourself as a Scientist: Increasing Science Identity Using Professional Development Modules Designed for Undergraduate Students.

ABSTRACTAs educators, we should not assume that students are progressing toward intended STEM careers simply because they have persisted and received a STEM degree. In addition to learning biology content and scientific skills, students need guidance in making optimal career choices. In this study, we present seven career development modules designed specifically to motivate students to consider their successes as scientists and to consider applying their biological knowledge and scientific skills to a range of biology careers. These modules highlight the value and the utility of a biology degree and are, therefore, designed to increase students’ self-confidence as well as their science and biology identities. The career development modules presented here are easy to implement and, in our experience, encourage engagement and class discussions. Our analyses confirm that these modules collectively increase student science and biology identities, two predictors for entry into STEM careers.

Epigenetic Inheritance From Normal Origin Cells Can Determine the Aggressive Biology of Tumor-Initiating Cells and Tumor Heterogeneity.

The acquisition of genetic- and epigenetic-abnormalities during transformation has been recognized as the two fundamental factors that lead to tumorigenesis and determine the aggressive biology of tumor cells. However, there is a regularity that tumors derived from less-differentiated normal origin cells (NOCs) usually have a higher risk of vascular involvement, lymphatic and distant metastasis, which can be observed in both lymphohematopoietic malignancies and somatic cancers. Obviously, the hypothesis of genetic- and epigenetic-abnormalities is not sufficient to explain how the linear relationship between the cellular origin and the biological behavior of tumors is formed, because the cell origin of tumor is an independent factor related to tumor biology. In a given system, tumors can originate from multiple cell types, and tumor-initiating cells (TICs) can be mapped to different differentiation hierarchies of normal stem cells, suggesting that the heterogeneity of the origin of TICs is not completely chaotic. TIC’s epigenome includes not only genetic- and epigenetic-abnormalities, but also established epigenetic status of genes inherited from NOCs. In reviewing previous studies, we found much evidence supporting that the status of many tumor-related “epigenetic abnormalities” in TICs is consistent with that of the corresponding NOC of the same differentiation hierarchy, suggesting that they may not be true epigenetic abnormalities. So, we speculate that the established statuses of genes that control NOC’s migration, adhesion and colonization capabilities, cell-cycle quiescence, expression of drug transporters, induction of mesenchymal formation, overexpression of telomerase, and preference for glycolysis can be inherited to TICs through epigenetic memory and be manifested as their aggressive biology. TICs of different origins can maintain different degrees of innate stemness from NOC, which may explain why malignancies with stem cell phenotypes are usually more aggressive.

Meeting the Moment: Impact of TEACH Grant on US Undergraduate Education Degree Completion in High-Need Content Areas.

As part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (2007), the USA funded the TEACH Grant to incentivize earning a degree in a high-need content area (e.g., STEM fields, language-related areas, and Special Education) and to help meet teacher supply needs in low-income schools. Our analysis investigates the impact TEACH has had on the production of undergraduate education degrees overall and in high-need content areas. Using publicly available datasets and propensity score methods, we compare undergraduate education degree production at institutions of higher education, making comparisons between adopters and non-adopters of TEACH. Our findings suggest the adoption of TEACH had no impact on the overall production of undergraduate education degrees or production of education degrees in STEM, language-related fields, or special education. We situate our findings in the context of unrelenting demand for teachers in the USA.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41307-022-00263-3.

How do adolescent mathematical self-concept and values explain attainment of different kinds of STEM degrees in adulthood?

Gendered participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (‘STEM’) fields remains a pressing concern. Although women have made progress in entering life sciences (LS) they remain severely underrepresented in physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology (PMET). Drawing on expectancy-value theory, motivational predictors of adolescents’ mathematics participation and aspirations have been intensively studied. Fewer studies have examined how adolescent motivations link to university STEM participation, and we believe our study is first to link to subsequent degree attainment. Among 212 participants (115 women) in Australia, we examined how adolescent mathematics self-concept of ability and intrinsic/importance values explained attainment of PMET or LS versus non-STEM degrees in adulthood, over and above prior mathematical achievement and perceived science talent. Despite similar mathematical achievement, adolescent boys reported higher mathematics intrinsic value, self-concept of ability and science talent than girls; and, a higher proportion of men than women subsequently attained a PMET degree. Neither mathematics self-concept of ability, mathematics importance value or perceived science talent predicted STEM degrees. Adolescent mathematics intrinsic value marginally predicted only women’s attainment of PMET (but not LS) degrees. Implications for theory, policy, and educational practice are discussed.

From subject choice to career path: Female STEM graduates in the UK labour market

ABSTRACT Increasing the number of women in the STEM labour market has been presented by policymakers and industry representatives as an opportunity to address purported skill shortages in the sector. National governments have spent considerable sums on initiatives aimed at increasing the proportion of girls and women who study science and work in STEM jobs, with a particular focus on increasing the number of female STEM graduates. Although there is a considerable literature on gendered patterns of STEM education, the employment of recent STEM graduates, and gender pay gaps in the STEM workforce, there are important gaps in our knowledge about the position of STEM graduates. We combine several high-quality large-scale data sets to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between gender, STEM degree subjects and employment destinations in the first decade of this century. We found that labour market destinations were closely linked to undergraduate STEM subject choice but that gendered differences persisted within subject areas. Throughout their early and mid-career years, women with STEM degrees were more likely than their male peers to be employed in ‘caring’ professions, such as health and education, be employed in ‘lower status’ associate professional positions, and less likely to hold managerial positions.

Why women STEM majors are less likely than men to persist in completing a STEM degree: More than the individual

There is a U.S. workforce shortage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, with women often being underrepresented. To explore gender differences in the completion of a STEM degree, we examined predictors of persistence from the time of college application through the end of the fourth year of college for 40,974 undergraduates who intended to pursue a STEM major at 83 four-year institutions. Men persisted at higher rates (65%) than women (48%). We found support for ability, investment, and self-perception in STEM as antecedents of persistence. Men had higher mean scores than women on all but two predictors. Additionally, women's persistence increased as female representation in STEM at an institution increased.

Student Self-perception on Digital Literacy in STEM Blended Learning Environments

As students transition into tertiary blended learning environments, their digital literacy in terms of technical capabilities have potential to impact on their access to digital resources. The first foundational year of STEM degrees includes compulsory courses across a broad range of scientific areas, each of which incorporates online technology in a discipline-specific manner. Given the diversity of online resources that STEM students need to access across their first-year coursework, this study applies learning analytical methods to determine whether students’ perceived level of digital literacy has an effect on their navigation of learning management systems (LMS) and overall academic performance. The frequency and nature of LMS interactivity were examined across four first-year STEM courses offered in the same semester at a single institution, using a K-means cluster analysis to group student responses. It was observed that high achieving students accessed LMS resources more frequently than mid or low-achieving students across all four STEM courses. Students’ perceived level of digital literacy was collected via survey (n = 282), and students were sorted high (n = 106) and low-level (n = 176) of perceived digital literacy—HDL and LDL, respectively. HDL students were not consistently found in the high-achieving academic group and did not perform better in their overall grade when compared to LDL students. LDL students were observed to perform better in specific online assessment tasks, which may be attributed to their increased frequency of LMS interactivity. These findings highlight the delicate balance between students’ perceived level of digital literacy, motivation for engaging with online learning environments, and academic performance.

The influences of social agents in completing a STEM degree: an examination of female graduates of selective science high schools

BackgroundWomen are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions. Even the most promising female students’ interest in STEM subjects often decreases during secondary school. Using the framework of the Social Cognitive Career Theory, the present study examined the influences of social agents in female students’ persistence in STEM. Specifically, the present study used a retrospective survey investigating the influence of parental education, teachers as mentors, and peer belonging for female students’ attainment of an undergraduate degree in a STEM field for a special population—female graduates of selective science high schools (n = 1425). Furthermore, the study examined the influences of these social-agent variables on female students’ STEM choices when mediated by high school research experiences. Finally, the present study also explored the influences of these social-agent variables on female students when it came to choosing math-intensive STEM fields (n = 723).ResultsFindings showed that parental educational level and having STEM teachers as mentors are positively related to female students’ later attainment of a STEM degree. In addition to the direct relationship, parental educational level and having STEM teachers as mentors are also positively related to female students’ high school research participation, which is associated with a greater likelihood of their completing a STEM degree. Female students’ sense of belonging to a peer group did not correlate with their attainment of a STEM degree. When it came to choosing math-intensive STEM fields, a higher sense of peer belonging was negatively associated with obtaining a math-intensive STEM degree.ConclusionsParental education and having STEM teachers as mentors play an important role for female students’ persistence in STEM and obtaining a STEM undergraduate degree for female students in selective science high schools. However, among the female students who graduated with a STEM degree, it is less clear whether social-agent variables influenced their math-intensive vs. less-math-intensive choices. Educational implications for promoting female students’ STEM interests and careers in STEM fields are provided.

Why Not STEM? A Study Case on the Influence of Gender Factors on Students’ Higher Education Choice

The gender gap in STEM-related job positions is a fact, and it is closely related to the low percentage of women studying STEM degrees. This poses a problem because Europe, as well as the United States and the rest of the developed countries, keep demanding the best engineers and scientists to continue developing innovative products. This problem can thus be approached by answering, firstly, the following question: Why are women not studying STEM degrees? In this paper, we summarize the factors, found in literature, that influence students—both boys and girls—to not study STEM, particularly engineering, computer sciences and technology. We study these influence factors in a sample of N = 338 students from a secondary school placed in the south of Spain; we carry out a survey in order to find out if those students fill out the same answers other researchers have found and published in the related literature. Our main conclusions are as follows: The results confirm that the number of women in technical courses decreases when the level of the course increases; the lack of role models is not an impediment for girls to feel comfortable; unlike boys, girls will not choose engineering, even if their scoring in STEM is good; and we found that girls and women see themselves as not capable of studying an engineering degree more than boys and men do. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the situation regarding the gender gap in STEM fields in ages in which both girls and boys must choose their future studies.

A Pan-Cancer Study of KMT2 Family as Therapeutic Targets in Cancer.

Objective Exome sequencing studies have shown that the histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2 (KMT2) gene is one of the most commonly mutated genes in a range of human malignancies and is linked to some of the most common and deadly solid tumors. However, the connection between this gene family's function and tumor type, immunological subtype, and molecular subtype dependency is still unknown. Methods We examine the expression patterns of the histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2 (KMT2) gene, as well as their relationship to patient survival. We also used a pan-cancer analysis to link their function to immunological subtypes, the tumor microenvironment, and treatment sensitivity. Results Using the TCGA pan-cancer data, researchers looked at and examined KMT2 expression patterns and their links to patient survival and the tumor microenvironment in 33 cancer types. The expression of the KMT2 family changes significantly across and within cancer types, indicating significant inter- and intracancer heterogeneity. Patients' overall survival was often linked to the expression of KMT2 family members. However, the direction of the link differed depending on the KMT2 isoform and cancer type studied. Notably, in all cancer types examined, nearly all KMT2 family members were substantially linked with overall survival in patients with renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). Furthermore, all KMT2 genes have a strong relationship with immune infiltrate subtypes, as well as varying degrees of stromal cell infiltration and tumor cell stemness. Finally, we discovered that higher expression of KMT2s, particularly KMT2F and KMT2G, was linked to greater chemotherapeutic sensitivity in several cell lines. Conclusions The necessity to investigate each KMT2 member as a distinct entity inside each particular cancer type is highlighted by our comprehensive investigation of KMT2 gene expression and its relationship with immune infiltrates, tumor microenvironment, and cancer patient outcomes. Our research also confirmed the identification of KMT2 as a potential therapeutic target in cancer, but further laboratory testing is required.

3BDO inhibits the proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stemness via suppressing survivin in human glioblastoma cells

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a tumor of the central nervous system with an extremely poor prognosis. Stemness and EMT play important roles in GBM progression. 3-benzyl-5-((2-nitrophenoxy) methyl) dihydrofuran-2(3H)-one (3BDO), an autophagy inhibitor, has been reported to exert anti-cancer activities on lung carcinoma. However, the effects of 3BDO on GBM remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 3BDO on GBM and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.Method: CCK-8 experiments and clone formation assays were conducted to determine the level of cell proliferation. Transwell assay was conducted to examine cell migration and invasion abilities. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining were used to analyze protein expression levels. A xenograft mouse model was used to evaluate the effect of 3BDO in vivo.Results: We found that 3BDO inhibited U87 and U251 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, 3BDO decreased the degree of sphere formation and levels of stemness markers (sox2, nestin, and CD133) in GSCs. 3BDO also inhibited migration and invasion abilities and suppressed EMT markers (N-cadherin, vimentin, and snail) in GBM cells. Moreover, we found that 3BDO downregulated the expression of survivin in both GBM cells (U87, U251) and GSCs. Furthermore, overexpression of survivin decreased the therapeutic effect of 3BDO on EMT, invasion, migration, and proliferation of GBM cells, as well as decreased the stemness of GSCs. Finally, we demonstrated that 3BDO could inhibit tumor growth in a tumor xenograft mouse model constructed using U87 cells. Similar to the in vitro findings, 3BDO decreased the expression of survivin, EMT makers, and the degree of stemness in vivo.Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that 3BDO can repress GBM both in vitro and in vivo via downregulating survivin-mediated stemness and EMT.

Socioeconomic Differences in North Carolina College Students’ Pathways Into STEM

Background/Context: The underrepresentation of students from lower socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds among college graduates with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees, and consequently in STEM occupations, is a concern with respect to reducing, perpetuating, or increasing social inequality. The loss of their talent and creativity also poses a threat to the future of the U.S. economy, scientific knowledge generation, and national security. This study uses two theoretical frameworks—bounded rationality and effectively maintained inequality (EMI)—to identify the pathways toward STEM for students from lower and higher SES backgrounds, given the well-documented differences in their family resources and opportunities to learn, amount of cultural capital, and risk aversions. Purpose: The study identifies factors related to LSES students’ odds of declaring and graduating with a STEM degree and tests whether those factors work in similar ways for students from higher socioeconomic groups. The study contributes to understanding the roots of the underrepresentation of LSES students in STEM majors and occupations. Research Design: We use a mixed-method sequential explanatory design that draws from two complementary sources of data, one quantitative and one qualitative. Using multilevel logit models, the quantitative data set explores how SES influences students’ choices regarding whether to pursue a STEM degree. The qualitative data set further explores the relationships found in the quantitative data specifically for the case of LSES students through analysis of in-depth interviews. Findings: Quantitative analysis finds that LSES students’ socioeconomic background is related to their reduced opportunities to learn and reduced information resources, lessening their adequate academic preparation for success in STEM majors. Qualitative data indicate that risk avoidance—specifically, perceptions of risk and ideas of future income stability—play an important role in LSES students’ decisions to major in STEM. In addition, LSES students possess insufficient data to make informed decisions while in high school regarding course selection that would better enable their pathways into STEM, and to navigate into college success. Conclusions: To foster equity in access to postsecondary educational resources, it is crucial to offer all students access to high-quality academic opportunities before enrolling in college. Furthermore, high schools must ensure that students have access to explicit information about college and what various majors entail. We advocate that all students should have information on all options available so they can make well-informed decisions that match their abilities and preferences. Students’ access to and preferences for certain majors should not be conditioned on their socioeconomic background.

Effects of Workload Allocation per Course on Students' Academic Outcomes: Evidence from STEM Degrees

Effects of Workload Allocation per Course on Students' Academic Outcomes: Evidence from STEM Degrees

Increasing the Participation of African American Male Students in STEM

Despite recent efforts aimed at increasing diversity in STEM-related fields, many communities are still largely underrepresented in these disciplines, including African American students and professionals. Not only is this unfair on individuals who may ultimately miss out on rewarding STEM careers, but it also deprives the STEM workforce of talented minds, and the innovation that a more diverse community could achieve. Dr Terry L. Mills and Dr J. K. Haynes, two professors at Morehouse College in Atlanta, have created the John H. Hopps Jr. STEM Education Research Program, an academic intervention designed to increase the participation of African American men in STEM degrees.

Design and implementation of a cohort‐based undergraduate research experience in the agricultural sciences

AbstractScience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is consistently seen as a top priority; however, STEM programs often suffer from low retention. Students who start in STEM degree programs often lose interest or face obstacles that cause them to leave. Here, we describe a non‐traditional approach meant to encourage a range of students to pursue or continue their STEM education. Active learning approaches have long been touted to stimulate long‐term interest and prepare students for a career in natural science. We provide a case study of an interdisciplinary, cohort‐centric, mentor‐guided summer research internship. By establishing an understanding of how science is currently conducted in agriculture, through several faculty mentors, the program allowed students to embrace their core interests while being able to fit into larger interdisciplinary narratives which provided motivation to continue their path in STEM education.