More Isn't Always Better: The Impact of High School Advanced Placement Coursework Availability on Race and Gender Differences in STEM Majors (Poster 8)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Numerous studies have examined the role of Advanced Placement (AP) coursework in high school, suggesting that these courses strongly predict college student success in and out of STEM fields. The mission of AP courses involves preparing students for college and increasing access to underrepresented students in STEM fields. Most research on tracking and sorting processes in schools suggests AP courses benefit advantaged students the most. Moreover, the total student enrollment in various AP course offerings at the high school level fluctuates widely and can be understood as a proxy for differential resource allocation to high schools. I use multilevel modeling to examine the impact of overall high school enrollment in AP coursework on predicting enrollment in a STEM major during a student’s first semester in college. Preliminary findings suggest variation in enrollment in AP coursework, not focused on math or science, at the high school level does not seem to matter for race differences in who majors in STEM. However, there is some impact on gender variation. Adverse but minimal effects were found for increasing enrollments in math and science AP coursework at the high school level. These findings, taken together, suggest that increasing access to all AP coursework, not solely math and science courses, can help alleviate gendered disparities in who declares a STEM major upon entering college. Subsequent analyses will investigate the interaction between individual and school-level factors. I will present graphed predicted probabilities and study limitations in my presentation.

Author

• Heather Daniels, University of California - Merced
  Presenting Author