New Perspectives in Science Education

Roughly half of all college students in the United States who are originally interested in completing bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields actually complete them (Chen, 2013). With jobs in STEM fields growing at double the speed of other jobs and the majority requiring bachelor’s degrees (Fayer et al., 2017), the demand for STEM degree holders exceeds the pool of qualified workers. As such, there have been calls for institutions of higher education to increase baccalaureate attainments in STEM fields (Olson & Riordan, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between a first-term college-level mathematics course and STEM major persistence. The study utilized data from students who declared STEM majors at matriculation at a 4-year public institution in the western United States and used logistic regression to identify significant variables likely to increase in a student’s persistence in a STEM major. Findings indicated that students who passed a first-term college-level mathematics course had significantly greater odds of persisting in STEM majors than those who did not. This study identifies a specific term that influences persistence in STEM field majors, indicating that achievement at the very beginning of students’ college careers may impact their STEM persistence. This finding is important given that previous research has shown that early intervention to improve mathematics skills leads to success in subsequent mathematics courses (e.g., Harrington et al., 2016), many of which are required in various STEM fields. Furthermore, it is important that institutions of higher education ensure that mathematics faculty are aware of the relationship between first-term mathematics success and persistence in STEM so they can understand the significance of offering additional mathematics support to freshman students. Finally, by focusing on term-to-term mathematics course-taking patterns, faculty and administrators could implement strategic retention models to increase STEM graduation rates and thus supply qualified workers for crucial, in-demand jobs in STEM fields.

Keywords: STEM, retention, mathematics, postsecondary.

References

• Chen, X. (2013). STEM attrition: College students’ paths into and out of STEM fields (NCES 2014-001).
  https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014001rev.pdf
• Fayer, S., Lacey, A., & Watson, A. (2017). STEM occupations: Past, present, and future.
  https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2017/science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem-occupations-past-present-and-future/pdf/science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem-occupations-past-present-and-future.pdf
• Harrington, M., Lloyd, A., Smolinski, T., & Shahin, M. (2016). Closing the gap: First year success in college mathematics at an HBCU. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(5), 92-106. doi:10.14434//josotl.v16i5.19619
• Olson, S., & Riordan, D. G. (2012). Engage to excel: Producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Report to the President of the United States. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
  https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED541511.pdf