Poster #47 - The Importance of Student Interest in STEM During High School

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

The United States faces growing concerns about its domestic STEM pipeline, compounded by a persistent gender gap in STEM fields that has proven resistant to policy intervention. While a large literature examines the role of academic preparation and ability in explaining who pursues STEM education, the direct role of student interest has received comparatively little attention. This paper fills that gap by directly measuring the effect of high school interest in math and science on postsecondary STEM outcomes, and by quantifying how much of the gender gap in those outcomes can be attributed to differences in interest. This paper uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) of 2009, a nationally representative panel of approximately 25,000 students tracked from 9th grade through their early college years. A key advantage of the HSLS is its rich set of survey questions capturing students' self-identity, self-efficacy, and perceived utility in both math and science, measured at two points during high school. This panel structure allows for the direct estimation of interest as a predictor of and contributor to postsecondary STEM attainment, separately from academic ability. The findings yield three main results. First, among students who enroll in a four-year college, interest in science and mathematics in 11th grade are the strongest predictors of pursuing a STEM degree, ranking above GPA, test scores, and course-taking. This suggests that the decision to pursue STEM appears to be driven more by identity and interest than by just preparation. This points to a different set of levers for policy than the literature has typically emphasized. Second, an Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition shows that differences in math and science interest between male and female students account for 20% of the gender gap in postsecondary STEM credits earned. A substantial additional share is explained by female students receiving lower returns to the same levels of interest. This finding suggests raising awareness and preparation alone may be insufficient in driving female students towards STEM. Third, a Heckman selection model finds significant positive effects of 11th-grade interest on both the probability of having a STEM reference degree and the number of STEM credits earned. Tracking students from 9th to 11th grade further shows that interest levels can shift meaningfully during high school, documenting a real window for intervention. Together, these findings suggest that policies aimed at cultivating STEM interest during high school, particularly for female students, could meaningfully expand participation in STEM at the postsecondary level.

Author

• Nathan Jiang, Washington University in St. Louis
  Presenting Author