Focuses on what barriers still exist in diversity programs that are focused on STEM.
Current Selections
ClearThe K-16 STEM Archive is a searchable database. You can search it by typing in the search field above or filter it using the options in the sidebar. Abstracts are sorted by most recent publication year and primary author’s last name. Read more >>
Growing the Roots of STEM Majors: Female Math and Science High School Faculty and the Participation of Students in STEM
What is the role of the demographics of high school faculty, more specifically the proportion of female math and science teachers, on college students’ decisions to declare and/or major in STEM?
Who Aspires to a Science Career? A Comparison of Survey Responses from Primary and Secondary School Students
1) Who holds science aspirations? 2) What factors seem to be connected to aspirations? 3) Are these patterns similar or different at different time points (in primary and secondary school)?
Narrowing Pathways? Exploring the Spatial Dynamics of Postsecondary STEM Preparation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What geographical factors are associated with the postsecondary STEM preparation of students from underrepresented groups in the School District of Philadelphia from middle to high school?
Black STEM Students and the Opportunity Structure
What pre-college characteristics, college experiences, and college environments significantly influence Black students’ participation within the STEM opportunity structure, compared to their White counterparts?
The concentration of Asian Americans in STEM and health-care occupations: an intergenerational comparison
This article examines the concentration of Asian Americans in the STEM and health-care fields of study and occupations by generation, ethnic group and gender, compared to white Americans.
Gender Differences in Conceptualizations of STEM Career Interest: Complementary Perspectives from Data Mining, Multivariate Data Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling
To extract new information about differences in male versus female conceptual frameworks of STEM career interest in middle school.
An Investigation of the Linkage Between Technology-Based Activities and STEM Major Selection in 4-Year Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling
1) To what extent do technology-based activities affect students’ selections of STEM majors in 4-year postsecondary institutions at the student level, taking into account math performance, gender, racial/ethnic background, and socioeconomic status (SES)? 2) To what extent do technology-based activities and technology-based school environment affect students ‘selections of STEM majors in 4-year postsecondary institutions at the school level, taking into account math performance, gender, racial/ethnic background, and SES?
Determining the Effects of Computer Science Education at the Secondary Level on STEM Major Choices in Postsecondary Institutions in the United States
1) To what extent does taking more units in computer science courses predict students’ STEM major choices in 4-year post-secondary institutions, controlling for credits earned in math and science, ACT math scores, gender, social economic status (SES), and racial background? 2) To what extent does taking more units in computer science courses predict students’ STEM major choices in 2-year post-secondary institutions, controlling for credits earned in math and science, ACT math scores, gender, SES, and racial background? 3) To what extent does taking more units in computer science courses lead to a significant difference in students’ major choices between4-year and 2-year post-secondary institutions, controlling for credits earned in math and science, ACT math scores, gender, SES, and racial background?
The Role of School Performance in Narrowing Gender Gaps in the Formation of STEM Aspirations: A Cross-National Study
To determine whether the school context is related to the gender gap in STEM aspirations cross-culturally.
Moving Latino/a Students into STEM Majors in College: The Role of Teachers and Professional Communities in Secondary Schools
This research focuses on the predictors of STEM majors in college, focusing specifically on Latino/a students. Also, it examines the effectiveness of collaborative teaching communities in secondary schools. Lastly, this research focuses on teacher satisfaction and teaching practices on student outcomes.
Using Multiple Measures to Make Math Placement Decisions: Implications for Access and Success in Community Colleges
Whether boosted students are equally likely to succeed when compared with other students in the higher-level course despite having lower raw placement test scores.
Perceived Mathematical Ability under Challenge: A Longitudinal Perspective on Sex Segregation among STEM Degree Fields
1) To what degree do domain-specific and domain-general perceptions of ability under challenge differ by gender? 2) What is the relationship between perceived ability under challenge in mathematics and advanced high school science course enrollment? 3) To what extent does perceived ability under challenge in mathematics predict staying in a STEM field as intended before entering postsecondary education? How is this relationship moderated by gender? 4) What is the relationship between perceived ability under challenge in mathematics and selection of mathematics-intensive science majors (physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science(PEMC), and how is that relationship moderated by gender?
Ethnic Variation in Gender-STEM Stereotypes and STEM Participation: An Intersectional Approach
The authors examine ethnic variation in gender-
STEM stereotypes and STEM participation among African American and European American college students.
College Admissions Viewbooks and the Grammar of Gender, Race, and STEM
This study aims to critically examine representations of gender, race, and STEM in college admissions viewbooks.
High School Socioeconomic Composition and College Choice: Multilevel Mediation Via Organizational Habitus, School, Practices, Peer and Staff Attitudes
1) Is high school socioeconomic composition (SEC) predictive of students’ college choice?
2) Does SEC have a direct effect on college choice and indirect effects mediated by college choice organizational habitus (CCOH) related school practices and peer, family, and staff attitudes?
3) To what degree do direct and indirect effects of SEC depend on student and school input characteristics?
Supplemental Instruction: The Effect of Demographic and Academic Preparation Variables on Community College Student Academic Achievement in STEM-Related Fields
This study evaluated the influence of input and environment variables associated with participation in supplemental instruction (SI) on student achievement outcomes at a community college. In particular, the study evaluated the relationships between student demographics and academic preparation, faculty and SI member demographics, levels of participation in SI, and academic achievement.
The Effects of Gender and Race Intersectionality on Student Learning Outcomes in Engineering
This study examines engineering students’ self-reported learning outcomes by their gender, race/ethnicity, and the intersections of gender and race/ethnicity. This study focuses on the relationship between students’ pre-college characteristics and their learning outcomes.
Parental Support and High School Students’ Motivation in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics: Understanding Differences Among Latino and Caucasian Boys and Girls
The authors examine if a variety of parental behaviors predict students’ ability self-concepts in and value they place on biology, chemistry, and physics.
Disadvantage and the ‘Capacity to Aspire' to Medical School
This study was designed to elucidate
why students from backgrounds of
lower socio-economic status (SES) and who
may be first in their family (FIF) to enter
university continue to be under-represented in
medical schools.
Factors Influencing Black Males' Preparation for College and Success in STEM Majors: A Mixed Methods Study
1) What specific factors influence Black males’ preparation for college? 2) What specific factors influence Black males’ success in STEM fields?
Pathway to a Baccalaureate in STEM Fields: Are Community Colleges a Viable Route and Does Early STEM Momentum Matter?
1) Does beginning at a community college affect students’ baccalaureate completion and persistence in STEM fields of study at 4-year institutions? 2) To what extent is STEM momentum related to baccalaureate completion and persistence in STEM fields of study at 4-year institutions? 3) To what extent does beginning at a community college influence STEM momentum?
Course-Taking Patterns of Community College Students Beginning in STEM: Using Data Mining Techniques to Reveal Viable STEM Transfer Pathways
This study examines the course-taking trajectories of beginning community college students, and the resulting transfer outcomes as related to STEM. The following question guides this research: What course-taking patterns are most contributive to upward transfer in STEM fields?
Belonging and Academic Engagement Among Undergraduate STEM Students: A Multi-institutional Study
1) Which levels of belonging are most consistently associated with behavioral engagement as well as emotional engagement after controlling for relevant factors such as self-efficacy? 2) What are the similarities and differences among the different types of institutions in terms of the relationships between belonging levels and engagement?
STEM Education
Review and discuss current research on STEM education in the United States, drawing on recent research in sociology and related fields.
The downside of good peers: How classroom composition differentially affects men's and women's STEM persistence
The aim of this study is to understand the differential impact of the number of on-track students in a general chemistry lecture relative to late-track students on STEM completion for men and women.
Effects of Student Body Racial and Ethnic Demographics on Community College Student Persistence: A Correlational Inferential Study
1) What is the effect of racial and ethnic community college student body composition on student persistence? 2) Does the racial and ethnic composition of a community college’s student body have differential effects on the persistence of students from different racial and ethnic groups? 3) What is the effect of racial and ethnic student body composition on student academic and social engagement?
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Readiness: Ethno-Linguistic and Gender Differences in High-School Course Selection Patterns
1) What are the ethno-linguistic profiles of high school graduates that entered the ESL program in schools in British Columbia at different ages? 2) What are the determinants and correlates of Grade 12 course selecting patterns (CSP) with respect to student gender, ethno-linguistic group, academic history, grade level at entry and achievement history? 3) What student demographics increase the probability that students will choose classes that prepare them for a STEM major? 4) What are the probabilities of CSP by gender and ethnic group status?
Expectancy-Value Models of the STEM Persistence Plans of Ninth-Grade, High-Ability Students: A Comparison Between Black, Hispanic, and White Students
Examine the relationships of demographic and expectancy-value variables with STEM persistence status.
Does it Matter Who Your Schoolmates Are? An Investigation of the Association between School Composition, School Processes and Mathematics Achievement in the Early Years of Primary Education
(1) What are the effects of school composition with regard to prior math achievement, SES, ethnicity and sex on mathematics achievement at the end of the second grade? (2) Are there differential school composition effects? In other words: are all students affected equally by their school composition or are some specific subgroups more sensitive to their school composition than others? (3) Do certain school processes mediate the association between school composition and mathematics achievement at the end of the second grade?
"What Comes to Mind When You Think of Science? The Perfumery!": Documenting Science-Related Cultural Learning Pathways Across Contexts and Timescales
How do everyday moments – experienced across settings, pursuits, social groups, and time – result in scientific learning, expertise development, and identification?
What Matters in College for Retaining Aspiring Scientists and Engineers from Underrepresented Racial Groups
Among students who started college with an interest in majoring in a STEM field, does a student’s race contribute significantly to the chances that he or she will follow through on these intentions? If so, are the effects of race moderated by high school academic preparation and/or key college experiences? If there are racial disparities in persistence rates after controlling for pre-college student characteristics, what are the college factors that contribute to the persistence of under represented racial minority (URM) students? What college experiences and institutional characteristics significantly predict the likelihood that a URM student will follow through on his or her intentions to pursue a degree in STEM?
Intersectionality and STEM: The Role of Race and Gender in the Academic Pursuits of African American Women in STEM
What role do the intersection of race and gender play in the academic pursuits of African American women in the STEM field of computing sciences?
Student perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) content and careers
1) Are STEM dispositions of high school science and mathematics students more similar to those of their generational peers or those of STEM professionals? 2) Are STEM dispositions or career interests different for disaggregation attributes such as gender, year in the academy, size of school, or ethnicity? 3) What are the primary influences reported by academy students for their interest in STEM careers?
Perceived Gender and Racial/Ethnic Barriers to STEM Success
Assess the variation in perceived STEM support by gender and race/ethnicity and its associations with STEM aspirations. Explore in-depth the participants’ perceptions of microaggressions and support for girls and underrepresented minorities in STEM.
Characteristics of Schools Successful in STEM: Evidence from Two States' Longitudinal Data
This report estimates school effectiveness in science and mathematics to identify and describe both successful and un-successful schools in STEM fields.