From Secondary to Postsecondary: Charting an Engineering "Career and Technical Education" Pipeline

• In Event: Understanding the Role of Career and Technical Education in Building the STEM Pipeline

Abstract

There continues to be a high demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) trained individuals in the United States. To highlight one aspect of STEM, engineering in particular has seen high demand continue, but the supply of individuals completing engineering credentials in postsecondary education (PSE) has remained flat for the past 20 years. Even more concerning is the degree to which certain segments of the student population remain underrepresented. For example, females only comprised 14% of engineering degrees in the year 2012, even though they represented 52% of the bachelor’s degree recipients (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014).
One potential for increasing the number of individuals completing engineering degrees in PSE, and potentially close the gender gap in this area, is through completion of engineering career and technical education (E-CTE) coursework in high school. CTE in general has been linked to numerous positive student outcomes, including increased odds of high school completion, and increased odds of college enrollment (Cellini, 2006; Elliott, Hanser, & Gilroy, 2002; Kemple & Snipes, 2000; Plank, DeLuca, & Estacion, 2008). While there has been research into CTE as a broad category, very little work has specifically examined E-CTE, especially in relation to the overall engineering pipeline. Considering this gap in literature, the current study asks the following questions: What are the characteristics of students who take E-CTE in high school and the high schools that offer these courses? How does E-CTE in high school connect to engineering degrees in PSE? Does any observed relationship differ by gender?
We chose to examine the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS) to respond to the research questions, as it is the most recent dataset for which we are able to observe postsecondary credential completion. ELS provides a rich array of student and school variables, including complete high school and PSE transcripts. The study uses logistic regression, as well as a random intercepts model to observe completion of the following engineering outcomes: any credential; AA; BA; MA; and Doctoral/Professional.
Key findings include the following: the engineering gender gap is evident in high school; there are observed connections between E-CTE in high school and all levels of degree except for AA; and there is a clear difference across genders, in that females benefitted more from E-CTE in connection to completion of an engineering BA.
There are three implications from this study: this study clearly documents the existence of an engineering gender gap in high school; participation in E-CTE can encourage completion of an engineering degree; and E-CTE may help narrow the engineering gender gap. These are important findings, as they provide evidence that E-CTE coursework may offer an opportunity for schools to help meet federal guidelines and recommendations to help improve female participation in math and science (Halpern et al., 2007).

Authors

• Michael A. Gottfried, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Jay Plasman, University of California - Santa Barbara