Math Belonging and STEM Persistence: The Long-Term Impact of Early High School Experiences

• In Event: Messages, Pedagogies, and Identities: Building Belonging for Diverse Learners

Abstract

Despite efforts to promote equitable access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), racial/ethnic and gender disparities persist in high school and postsecondary STEM engagement. This paper draws on two studies examining how students’ 9th-grade math belonging shapes their engagement and persistence in STEM. Study 1 tested whether math belonging mediates the relationship between demographic characteristics and advanced math completion, finding that belonging partially explained some racial/ethnic disparities in course taking, particularly for Latinx students. Study 2 found that math belonging also predicted postsecondary STEM persistence, including STEM course enrollment and intended major—especially for female students. These findings highlight the importance of fostering early feelings of math belonging to address long-standing representation disparities in STEM.

Authors

• Piper Stanger, California Department of Education

• Sandra Graham, University of California - Los Angeles