Identifying a Typology of STEM-Focused High Schools: A Latent Class Analysis of High School Longitudinal Study: 2009

• In Event: Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Research in Science Learning and Teaching Poster Session 2

Abstract

Prior research supports the idea that the odds of pursuing a STEM degree are higher for students who attend STEM-focused high schools than student who attend regular high schools (Bottia et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to examine the typology of STEM-focused high schools from a large nationally representative sample using latent class analysis (LCA). Our results show a significantly different typology of high schools based on their orientation towards STEM. We identified a four latent class LCA of subgroups of high school: STEM-Focused, Comprehensive, Achievement-Focused, and Informal STEM. Implications are given for further analyses that consider the effects of school demographics and opportunities for students from underrepresented groups in STEM-focused high schools.

Authors

• Luronne Vaval, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Alex J. Bowers, Teachers College, Columbia University