A Utility-Value Intervention With Parents Increases Students' STEM Preparation and Career Pursuit

• In Event: 18.057 - Mom, Dad, Teacher, Peer: Who Influences Students' STEM Motivation? An Expectancy Value Perspective

Abstract

Framework
During high school, developing competence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains is critically important as preparation to pursue STEM careers, yet only 44% of students are currently meeting the college readiness level for mathematics and 36% for science, based on college preparatory test scores (ACT, 2013). One solution to this problem involves increasing students’ motivation to enroll in STEM courses during high school, which is when many students make the choice to not enroll in optional and advanced STEM courses (Ingels et al., 2011). Correlational studies have shown that students’ perceived utility value, or how relevant and useful they view a topic, is a strong predictor of mathematics and science course-taking (Simpkins, Davis-Kean, & Eccles, 2006; Updegraff, Eccles, Barber, O'Brien, 1996) and that parents play an important role in influencing students’ perceived utility value (Lazarides et al., 2015).

Objectives and Data
Therefore, the present study examined the long-term effects of a theory-based intervention designed to help parents convey the importance of mathematics and science courses to their high school-aged children. Parents were randomly assigned to the intervention (N=81 families) or control (N=100 families) condition, and the intervention materials were distributed when their children were in 10th and 11th grades of high school. Parents in the intervention group received information about the utility and relevance of mathematics and science for high school students and encouragement to discuss this information with their child via two brochures and access to a website. Control group parents received no additional materials.

Methods
To evaluate the effects of this intervention, we collected students’ high school transcripts to measure the number of STEM courses taken in high school, their standardized college preparatory test (ACT) scores to assess STEM competence and preparedness, and we gave students a survey two years after high school to assess their continued STEM career pursuit (i.e., motivational attitudes towards STEM, the number of STEM courses taken in college, and the likelihood that students desired a STEM career and STEM major). We utilized structural equation modeling to examine the relationships between the intervention, high school STEM preparation outcomes, and post-high school STEM career pursuit outcomes (Figure-1). There were seven base predictors for our model, which were used to predict all high school and post-high school outcomes: the intervention contrast, students’ gender, level of parental education, and all interactions between those variables. High school outcomes were also allowed to predict post-high school outcomes.

Results and Significance
Results showed that the intervention promoted STEM course-taking in high school and improved mathematics and science standardized test scores on ACT scores by 12 percentile points (Figure-2). Furthermore, the intervention had a significant indirect effect on post-high school STEM career pursuit through effects on high school STEM course-taking and achievement. Altogether, this study is the first to demonstrate that a brief motivational intervention with parents can have large effects on STEM preparation in high school as well as downstream effects on STEM career pursuit five years later.

Authors

• Chris Rozek, University of Chicago

• Ryan C Svoboda, Northwestern University

• Judith Harackiewicz, University of Wisconsin

• Chris S. Hulleman, University of Virginia

• Janet S. Hyde, University of Wisconsin - Madison