– Indicators related to achievement in middle school and high school predicted students’ postsecondary STEM success. Examples are high school grade point average, class rank, math and science achievement, and SAT Reasoning Test or ACT math scores. Grades in math and science courses were less predictive of postsecondary STEM success for racial/ethnic minority students, including Hispanic students, than for White students.
– Statistically significant high school predictors of postsecondary STEM success included schools’ academic rigor, percentage of students enrolled in college preparatory programs, students’ satisfaction with their teachers, and levels of parent participation.
-Few studies examined K-12 predictors of postsecondary STEM success specifically for Hispanic students.
– Parent attitudes during students’ high school years were significantly related to postsecondary STEM success, with parent encouragement of science and math increasing the likelihood of entering a STEM profession and parents’ expectations related to the length of their children’s education predictive of pursuing a STEM major.
2016 - Exploring the Foundations of the Future STEM Workforce: K-12 Indicators of Postsecondary STEM Success
Hinojosa, Trisha, Rapaport, Amie, Jaciw, Andrew, LiCalsi, Christina, & Zacamy, Jenna
University Affiliation:
Email:
Research Question:
1) What K-12 indicators predict postsecondary STEM success? 2) To what extent do K-12 indicators of postsecondary STEM success differ for Hispanic and non-Hispanic students?
Published: No
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: N/A
Journal Entry: N/A
Year: 2016
Findings:
Data Description:
- The review team defined relevant studies as those that: 1) Were published in 2000 or later. 2) Were conducted in the United States. 3) Were published in a peer-reviewed journal. 4) Conducted primary research. 5) Included at least one K-12 indicator of postsecondary STEM success. 6) Included at least one postsecondary STEM outcome.
- Twenty-one studies were judged to have addressed one of the review’s two research questions. Two additional studies included in the review examined the relationship between K-12 indicators and STEM careers rather than enrollment in, persistence in, and completion of a postsecondary STEM degree. The studies included in the review considered multiple indicators of postsecondary STEM success concurrently and used different methodologies, samples, and definitions of subgroups of interest.
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:STEM Persistence and Retention
Archives: K-16 STEM Abstracts