43.026 - Factors That Stagnate or Promote STEM Interest in College: A Longitudinal Perspective

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

There are increasing concerns over an insufficient supply of STEM talent and what a projected shortfall will mean for the nation’s economic vitality and ability to innovate. Studies on promoting STEM interest and diversifying the talent pool in STEM fields often provide a point-in-time examination (e.g., high school experiences) and/or are conducted in one setting. However, students’ STEM interests are dynamically formed over the course of their educational career and can develop across different settings (e.g., K-12, community colleges, or universities). In this session, participants present findings on factors that stagnate or promote STEM interest in higher education using a multi-faceted, longitudinal perspective and discuss implications for retaining STEM college students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Sub Unit

• Division J - Postsecondary Education / Division J - Section 2a: College Student Access

Chair

• Elizabeth Park

Papers

• Gender Gaps in Math Performance, Perceived Mathematical Ability, and College STEM Education: The Role of Parental Occupation - Lina Maria Anaya Beltran, University of Arkansas; Frank P. Stafford, University of Michigan; Gema Zamarro, University of Arkansas

• STEM Outreach Programs as a "Third Space" of Engagement: Potent Solutions to Stagnated STEM Interest - Joseph Kitchen, University of Southern California; Gerhard Sonnert, Harvard University; Philip M. Sadler, Harvard University

• Does Developmental Math Help Community College Students Persist in STEM? - Elizabeth Park, University of Southern California; Federick Ngo, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Hands Off? Access and Embodied Cognition Among Black Students in Engineering - Sophia Glenyse Rahming, Florida State University; Lara Perez-Felkner, Florida State University

Discussant

• Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin - Madison