STEM Workforce Research Articles

One Early Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Produces Sustainable Knowledge Gains, but only Transient Perception Gains.

Universities have been called upon to integrate research experiences into early, introductory courses to better prepare our STEM workforce. This call is primarily based on short-term studies that link research experiences with knowledge and perception gains. However, the influence of pre-existing student characteristics has not been fully disentangled from the research experience, and the long-term stability of these gains is uncertain. To address these issues, we integrated a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) into randomly assigned sections of a required freshman-level biology laboratory course. We previously reported that this CURE resulted in immediate targeted knowledge and perception gains. Here, we evaluate the stability of these gains as students progressed through a biology degree program. At sophomore year, the impact of the CURE on student perception was still apparent. When compared to controls, students who participated in the CURE perceived a greater understanding of what researchers do and an increased interest in pursuing a research career. However, by senior year, these positive perceptions had fallen to levels shared by control groups. Targeted knowledge gains persisted throughout this study. Our results support CURE logic models predicting that multiple CUREs will be required to sustain perception gains.

Aligning Best Practices in Student Success and Career Preparedness: An Exploratory Study to Establish Pathways to STEM Careers for Undergraduate Minority Students

Undergraduate minority retention and graduation rates in STEM disciplines is a nationally recognized challenge for workforce growth and diversification. The Benjamin Banneker Scholars Program (BBSP) was a five-year undergraduate study developed to increase minority student retention and graduation rates at an HBCU. The program structure utilized a family model as a vehicle to orient students to the demands of college. Program activities integrated best K-12 practices and workforce skillsets to increase academic preparedness and career readiness. Findings revealed that a familial atmosphere improved academic performance, increased undergraduate research, and generated positive perceptions of faculty mentoring. Retention rates among BBSP participants averaged 88% compared to 39% among non-participant STEM peers. The BBSP graduation rate averaged 93% compared to 20% for non-participants. BBSP participants were more likely to gain employment in a STEM field or enter into a professional study. This paper furthers the body of research on STEM workforce diversity and presents a transferrable model for other institutions.

Evaluating the effectiveness of Integrated STEM-lab activities in improving secondary school students’ understanding of electrolysis

STEM education is gaining increasing attention globally to fulfill the acute shortage of STEM workforce. Executing STEM education is frequently viewed as a complex and challenging agenda. The current study proposes Integrated STEM-lab activities in the teaching and learning of electrolysis. The activities use real-world contexts as a platform to exhibit the transdisciplinary nature of integration of the four STEM disciplines. Embedded mixed methods research used quantitative one group pre-test–post-test design, and qualitative interviews were employed to measure the effectiveness of the Integrated STEM-lab activities in improving 50 secondary school students’ (Form Four equivalent to Grade 9) understanding of electrolysis. The Electrolysis Diagnostics Instrument was administered for pre- and post-tests. One-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) revealed that the Integrated STEM-lab activities effectively improved the students’ understanding of electrolysis measured in three subscales (Wilks’ lambda = 0.664;F(3,96) = 16.164; p < 0.05; η = 0.336) with 33.6% of the variances in the pre- and post-tests explained by the treatment. The qualitative interview data supported and provided insight into understanding the quantitative findings. In the interviews, the students elaborated their understanding of electrolysis with details, and consistently the activities were referred to in their responses. The findings of this study suggest that Integrated-STEM lab activities are suitable to address the limitation of the existing laboratory activities for knowledge construction. The activities are exemplary for integrating the four STEM disciplines into the standard science curriculum.

The Socialization of STEM Professionals Into STEM Careers: A Study of Newly Hired Engineers

The Problem Recently there has been a growing interest to increase the number of people entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. One of the major problems with this “supply-side” model is that it sees STEM workforce development narrowly as one of inputs (recruitment) and ignores the practice of STEM work, which affects the retention of professionals in STEM careers. The Solution Informed by recent research and theory on career development, we studied the work experiences of newly hired engineers in one organization. A key finding is that a major part of their experiences involved organizational work and social dynamics outside of what many considered to be “real” engineering work. We propose that these experiences provide important insights for the education and retention of STEM workers. The Stakeholders Faculty in higher education that prepare STEM workers, managers in organizations that hire new STEM workers, and aspiring STEM workers.

Factors Influencing Student STEM Career Choices: Gender Differences

This study examined factors that influence middle school students’ dispositions towards science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Interest and ability in STEM subject areas were compared by gender, based on 182 middle school students’ responses to four different test instruments. While findings from t-tests indicated significant differences between males and females on mathematics interest scores, no significant differences were found in science, technology, engineering, or STEM career interest. Stepwise multiple regression showed that STEM variables explained 47% of the variance in boys pursuing a STEM career and 36% of the variance in girls. The findings of this study underscore the challenges that still exist in achieving equal gender representation in the STEM workforce, and suggest that adopting a constructivist learning approach may provide a foundation for girls to develop a more positive approach toward science, boost STEM awareness and interest, and increase STEM success.

Future Directions: Challenges and Solutions Facing Career Readiness and Development in STEM Fields

The Problem This issue has highlighted some of the challenges in recruiting, preparing, and retaining individuals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Specifically, there is an increasing need to attract and prepare more STEM workers, address the underrepresentation of women in these careers, and provide ways to develop STEM students’ and employees’ social skills. The Solution These challenges require a systems approach involving educational institutions, community programs, and businesses and industry. Human resource development (HRD) initiatives and expertise are needed in all types of organizations to support the preparation and retention of a vibrant STEM workforce. The Stakeholders Teachers and faculty working with STEM students, managers and HRD practitioners, and HRD scholars interested in STEM careers.

Supporting learners’ STEM-oriented career pathways with digital badges

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the potential for digital badges to support alternate learning and career pathways in formal and informal learning environments. Stakeholder groups in higher education and industry discussed how digital badges might transform current processes of admitting undergraduate students and hiring young professionals.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 stakeholders in higher education and the technology industry.FindingsInterview participants expressed optimism about the potential for digital badges to make learning pathways visible to learners and external audiences and to promote equity in STEM (STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and careers. Participants noted several obstacles, largely focused on issues of credibility and logistics of working with badges across settings.Research limitations/implicationsThough the research approach is limited in geographic scope, the findings have broad applicability and insight for the use of digital badges in general.Practical implicationsEducation policymakers, employers and scholars will be able to use the insights from this investigation in their efforts to find innovative ways to expand and diversify the STEM workforce, as well as support a wider range of learners than is currently supported by initiatives aligned with the school-to-workforce pipeline metaphor.Originality/valueThis paper directly confronts issues of real-world applications of digital badges by discussing practical implications with college admissions officers and employers. The current study fills a need for research that investigates the use of digital badges across – as opposed to within – contexts.

Introduction to Special Issue—STEM Workforce: STEM Education and the Post-Scientific Society

An assumption is often made that STEM shortages can be remedied by either increasing the number of STEM graduates or enlarging STEM labor supply through immigration. Yet in some STEM fields, there are classic signs of adequate supply or even oversupply. The issue is further complicated by nonlinear career dynamics and rapidly evolving international pressures. The goals of this special issue are to summarize the research, and more importantly, to go beyond the current debate to identify critical policy issues in preparing individuals for STEM careers that are personally satisfying and meeting the needs of industry and the public sector. A common theme is that broader skill sets will be required that span STEM and non-STEM fields. However, political and other expedient considerations have continued to shape workforce policies.

International Student Achievement Comparisons and US STEM Workforce Development

Comparisons of US student achievement to other countries, conducted since the 1960s, have received extensive media coverage in the USA. Policy studies have cited these comparisons as evidence that the quality of US educational performance in mathematics and science requires federal intervention. Policy makers have been particularly concerned that the US economy would be impacted by inadequate student achievement levels especially in technology-related industries. This paper explores evidence about whether policy makers react to the citations of international student achievement rankings by changing funding levels for educational research and whether the studies have motivated the nation’s educators to support a trend toward common educational standards.

Nurturing interest in science and understanding the role of a scientist by teaching younger students how to apply scientific thinking during daily activities.

Nurturing interest in science and understanding the role of a scientist by teaching younger students how to apply scientific thinking during daily activities.

Outsourcing STEM Jobs: What STEM Educators Should Know

Outsourcing is a business strategy to cut costs by relocating jobs from high-cost countries, like the USA, to low-cost ones, like India. The practice involves moving the jobs and transferring knowledge, technologies, and capabilities. Outsourcing has been growing in scale and scope in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations, and it has implications for the current and future demand of STEM workers. Some jobs will be rendered obsolete as they migrate to low-cost locations, while others, which are complementary to outsourcing, will see demand increases. The paper reviews the theories about which jobs will be vulnerable to outsourcing and the empirical data. It describes the political and policy discussion about STEM outsourcing and how it has been coupled with the STEM workforce shortage debate. Lastly, it explores the implications for STEM educators, workers, and students. Many STEM jobs have already been outsourced and many more are vulnerable. STEM educators, workers, and students can take practical steps to adapt to outsourcing. STEM educators can modify curricula towards skill and knowledge areas less vulnerable to outsourcing and provide tools to students to become better stewards of their own careers. Workers can better steer their careers by closely tracking outsourcing trends.

The Science of Broadening Participation in STEM: A Symposium Discourse Analysis

The 2016 Symposium on the Science of Broadening Participation (SoBP) was a major event held in recognition of the need for an assembled and curated body of knowledge ready for use for effective policy development and implementation in relation to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Accordingly, analysis of Symposium communications—the presentations, discussions, and other interchanges among participants—was conducted to determine foundations and content for delineating the parameters and potential of an effective SoBP, especially as regards the development of a diverse, encompassing, and dynamic STEM workforce. Critical issues regarding frameworks, data and metrics, education, and workforce were identified and discussed for SoBP development and application, along with policy directives. In addition to general recommendations, areas for further study, such as community, also were indicated for SoBP consideration and expansion.

Reflections on Broadening Participation in STEM: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Know? Where Do We Go From Here?

Over 50 years ago, concerns about the adequacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent in the United States were the catalyst to develop programs to ensure that the STEM workforce would be adequate to meet scientific challenges. To date, there have been considerable investments in these programs. To determine where we go from here requires appraising where we stand and reviewing how far we have come. This article presents reflections from my experiences conducting both research and evaluations on broadening participation in STEM in the United States.

Social Enterprise Innovation: A Quantitative Analysis of Global Patterns

Social enterprise and innovation are inextricably linked in the literature (Chell et al. in Entrepr Reg Dev 22(6):485–493, 2010; Dees in Harv Bus Rev 76:54, 1998; Light in Stanf Soc Innov Rev 4(3):47–51, 2006). To date, research on social enterprise innovation has predominantly focused on micro-level factors, such as the social entrepreneur or organizational attributes. Inversely, recent empirical advances on social enterprise find a country’s social enterprise sector is influenced by macro-institutional factors, including form of government, stage of economic development, culture and model of civil society (Monroe-White and Coskun, in: Shaping social enterprise: understanding institutional context and influence, Emerald Publishing Limited, London, pp 27–48, 2017). Given the link between social enterprise and innovation, recent empirical findings around social enterprise beg the question, do macro-institutional factors similarly predict innovation by social enterprises? This paper uses a hierarchical linear model to examine the influence of national-level variables on social enterprise innovation. Results indicate that similar to social enterprise, macro-institutional factors predict social enterprise innovation. More specifically, macro-institutional factors influence the various types of innovations (product, process and marketing) differently. Moreover, country-level innovation is traditionally defined by economic factors, such as R&D funding and STEM workforce, however, these factors do not help explain social enterprise innovation. Given the social aspects of social enterprise innovation, to capture the full scope of innovation within countries, expanded definitions of national-level innovation should be considered.

Technology Capacity Building Strategies for Increasing Participation & Persistence in the Stem Workforce

This research model uses an emancipatory approach to address challenges of equity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce. Serious concerns about low minority participation call for a rigorous evaluation of new pedagogical methods that effectively prepares underrepresented groups for the increasingly digital world. The inability to achieve STEM workforce diversity goals is attributed to the failure of the academic pipeline to maintain a steady flow of underrepresented minority students. Formal curriculum frequently results in under-preparedness and a professional practices gap. Exacerbating lower performance are fragile communities where issues such as poverty, single-parent homes, incarceration, abuse, and homelessness disengage residents. Since data shows that more minorities have computing and engineering degrees than work in the field, this discussions explores how educational institutions can critically examine social and political realities that impede STEM diversity while capturing cultural cues that identify personal barriers amongst underrepresented groups.

Sex‐specific neurobiological differences in addiction neuropathology: An educational pilot program for next generation STEM workforce

AIMCalifornia State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) is located in central Los Angeles county, servicing a diverse community. This region is considered a hotspot for drug abuse due to a variety of factors, including a close proximity with the Mexico border, an abundance of transportation facilities to support trafficking, and a substantial population of several at‐risk groups. While graduates from CSUDH often go on to work in the community, these students do not yet receive the education in the factors leading to substance addiction. The aim of this program is to provide a set of courses which will train students on the latest addiction prevention and treatment research. The initial pilot course focused on sex‐specific and neurobiological corollaries to drug dependence.METHODSDuring the 2016–2018 academic years, 6 classes of senior undergraduate students were targeted for this program. Students worked individually and in small groups to prepare discussions on the neurobiology of addiction, following several original and secondary literature sources, including Michael Kuhar's The Addicted Brain (2011), peer‐reviewed publications and published abstracts from the several conferences (including Experimental Biology) from 2014–2017. Discussions with addiction researchers were also included. Students submitted research proposals to address potential gaps in the neuropharmacology literature, focusing on sex‐specific studies. Survey data were collected before and after the course to assess learning outcomes and career trajectories for these next generation STEM workforce students.RESULTSThis pilot program has been well‐received by the participating students. While it was clear that some students struggled with the content, all of them were personally engaged in the material. Indeed, many students openly shared their own experiences with drug dependence.CONCLUSIONStudents need earlier exposure to the neurobiology of drug abuse to support their success in this course. We will therefore offer a psychopharmacology course to students prior to taking this course.Support or Funding InformationCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills Faculty Research GrantThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Technology Capacity Building Strategies for Increasing Participation & Persistence in the Stem Workforce

This research model uses an emancipatory approach to address challenges of equity in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce. Serious concerns about low minority participation call for a rigorous evaluation of new pedagogical methods that effectively prepares underrepresented groups for the increasingly digital world. The inability to achieve STEM workforce diversity goals is attributed to the failure of the academic pipeline to maintain a steady flow of underrepresented minority students. Formal curriculum frequently results in under-preparedness and a professional practices gap. Exacerbating lower performance are fragile communities where issues such as poverty, single-parent homes, incarceration, abuse, and homelessness disengage residents. Since data shows that more minorities have computing and engineering degrees than work in the field, this discussions explores how educational institutions can critically examine social and political realities that impede STEM diversity while capturing cultural cues that identify personal barriers amongst underrepresented groups.

Active learning: a case study of student engagement in college Calculus

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a case study for strategic engagement of students in a Calculus course in order to produce increased learning in the classroom. Since it has been shown that active learning can promote greater comprehension for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, the researcher utilized many types of active learning techniques to enhance classroom instruction. The key components implemented are presented as a model of enhanced learning through developed classroom engagement. This course redesign model entitled, Strategic Engagement for Increased Learning (SEIL), has the potential to (1) contribute to the body of knowledge on ways to improve mathematics skills for college students, (2) identify successful teaching strategies and technologies that will promote the retention of STEM students, (3) increase the success rate of students taking Calculus, and (4) help produce more STEM graduates needed for the STEM workforce in the United States of America.

Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students' Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an avenue for student participation in authentic scientific opportunities. Within the context of such coursework, students are often expected to collect, analyze, and evaluate data obtained from their own investigations. Yet, limited research has been conducted that examines mechanisms for supporting students in these endeavors. In this article, we discuss the development and evaluation of an interactive statistics workshop that was expressly designed to provide students with an open platform for graduate teaching assistant (GTA)-mentored data processing, statistical testing, and synthesis of their own research findings. Mixed methods analyses of pre/post-intervention survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in students’ reasoning and quantitative literacy abilities in the domain, as well as enhancement of student self-reported confidence in and knowledge of the application of various statistical metrics to real-world contexts. Collectively, these data reify an important role for scaffolded instruction in statistics in preparing emergent scientists to be data-savvy researchers in a globally expansive STEM workforce.

STEAM: Using the Arts to Train Well-Rounded and Creative Scientists.

While the demand for a strong STEM workforce continues to grow, there are challenges that threaten our ability to recruit, train, and retain such a workforce in a way that is effective and sustainable and fosters innovation. One way in which we are meeting this challenge is through the use of the arts in the training of scientists. In this Perspectives article, we review the use of the arts in science education and its benefits in both K–12 and postsecondary education. We also review the use of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs in science outreach and the development of professional scientists.