Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Readiness: Ethno-Linguistic and Gender Differences in High-School Course Selection Patterns

  1. There is a late entry effect on the likelihood of choosing math and science related course selected patterns. The authors interpret this as newcomers being more prepared or more interested in sciences than students trained in the BC system. Also, they attribute it to the late entry students typically being immigrants where English is not their first language and would likely be more comfortable in math classes.
  2. More years in the BC school system decreases the likelihood to select math and science related course packages.
  3. Immigrants, in general, were the most likely to choose math or science related courses.
  4. Strong achievement scores in grade 4 or 7 were strongly linked with students that chose science-related courses over non-science courses.
  5. Females are less likely to choose math or physical sciences in comparison to men. They are more likely than men to choose life science courses.