The Consequences of STEM Specialization in High School for College Degree Attainment

• In Event: Pathways Into STEM Fields: Studies of Project Lead the Way

Abstract

The study aims to explore the consequences of high school students’ specialization in STEM fields for college degree attainment. With STEM employment recognized as a national priority (Fayer et al., 2017), how young people navigate the pathway from high school to postsecondary education in STEM becomes an important question. While core math and science courses in high schools provide essential knowledge, specialized courses may offer a more efficient path forward. However, subjects like engineering, biomedical science, and computer science are typically elective courses, leading to variation in student access and choices.

Existing research has highlighted the significance of high school courses in students’ entry into STEM occupations (Darolia et al., 2020) and demonstrated the benefits of problem-solving and project-based skills gained through applied STEM courses (Gottfried & Sublett, 2018). However, most existing studies treat STEM as a broad category and have used relative small data sources. To fill this gap, this study will examine how students’ completion of PLTW courses in engineering, biomedical science and computer science is associated with college degree attainment in those fields.

The study utilizes eight years of longitudinal data from Missouri, comprising around 45,000 students from 500 high schools. The main variables examined are: PLTW course completion and postsecondary degree attainment in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. To account for selection bias in PLTW courses, propensity score analysis (inverse probability weighting) and multilevel logistic regression models are employed.

The results reveal strong positive relationships between students’ completion of applied STEM courses in the three PLTW focal areas and postsecondary degree attainment in corresponding fields. Notably, students completing engineering courses in high school were 7.58 times more likely to attain a degree in engineering and 1.3 times more likely to complete a degree in computer science compared to students who did not complete any engineering courses. Those completing computer science courses were 9.14 times more likely to attain a degree in computer science and 3.14 times more likely to complete an engineering degree. Those completing biomedical science courses in high school were 4 times more likely to complete a biomedical science degree but less likely to complete a computer science degree attainment (odds ratio of 0.46). These findings illustrate the potential value of STEM subject specialization in high school.

By recognizing the diversity within STEM disciplines and conducting specific analyses, this study sheds light on the downstream consequences of high school subject specialization. It highlights the importance of early identification of students’ interests and tailoring applied STEM experiences to align with their individual learning trajectories. For policymakers and educators, this research suggests aligning STEM initiatives with students’ goals to strengthen the STEM pipeline and meet the nation's STEM priorities.

Authors

• Eric M. Camburn, University of Missouri - Kansas City

• Xinyi Mao, University of Central Florida