Attention to Retention: Exploring and Addressing the Needs of College Students in STEM Majors

Guided by well-established theories on student retention, a survey was developed and implemented to collect data about the college experience of STEM students at a four-year research university. Analysis of the survey data confirms ten constructs that captured different aspects of students’ academic and social experiences. Among them, academic quality provided by the institution, students’ formal academic integration, and motivation for active learning are identified to be the most influential factors to their retention. Different from students in non-STEM majors, financial pressure to fund college education and accessibility to faculty members outside the classroom are not significantly associated with STEM students’ intention to depart. The findings also challenge the sociological emphasis on social engagement as the pivotal point for student retention in STEM majors. To improve student persistence in STEM majors, it is suggested the institutional administrators invest in improving faculty members’ teaching skills, reducing class sizes, and engaging students in active learning and research projects

Empathy and Low Participation of Women in Engineering: Is There a Hidden Link

Women are severely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and the related work force. One of the reasons for the low presence of women in engineering is a lack of connection between engineering-related values and women’s personal values and beliefs, in particular the difference in empathy value. This study examined how empathy may have contributed to the low enrollment of women in engineering majors. An online survey was used to collect data from undergraduate students in an urban university in the United States. Statistical procedures were carefully selected to analyze the survey data and answer the four research questions. The results indicate that 1) students with a stronger empathizing trait reported lower likelihood of majoring in engineering; and 2) the perceived empathy level of a given academic discipline was a significant factor in students’ major choice. The lower likelihood of majoring in engineering was associated with its low empathy level perceived by the students. The major findings of the study call for reformulation of the engineering education so that human-centered values can be emphasized as critical components to the existing curricula

Satisfaction with the Decision to Become a Lawyer: The Implications for Diversity in the Legal Profession

This study is conducted in response to the national attention to the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the legal profession and judicial systems. In order to better understand the work experiences of women and minorities, data from a longitudinal national survey, After the JD (AJD) Study, are used to examine individuals’ satisfaction with their decision to become lawyers through the lens of Bourdieu’s theorization of cultural, social, and economic capitals. The goal is to understand how the underrepresentation of women and minorities was related to their career progress within the structural norms of the legal practice through a comparison with their White male counterparts. The results indicated satisfaction with a legal career depends on individuals’ social origins and the credentials related to the origins, and also on the extent to which the possibilities and potentials produced by the professional career meet the individuals’ expectations. The findings revealed that women and minority lawyers reported similar levels of satisfaction with their decision to enter the legal profession in comparison to their White male counterparts, and presented a challenge to the well-accepted argument that women and racial minorities are underrepresented in legal professions partly due to their low satisfaction and the conscious choices to opt out of their investments in and commitments to a legal career. It is hoped that this study can stimulate further examinations of the structural and organizational practices of the legal profession and promote equal opportunities for women and minorities in the legal profession. Keywords: Career satisfaction, legal professional, gender and racial inequalities DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-18-05 Publication date:June 30th 202

Gender disparity in STEM disciplines: A study of faculty attrition and turnover intentions

This study examines the underrepresentation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by comparing the intentions of attrition and turnover between genders in Research and Doctoral universities. It is found that the two genders did not differ in their intentions to depart from academia, but women faculty had a significantly higher likelihood to change positions within academia. The indications are that women and men are equally committed to their academic careers in STEM; nonetheless, women\u27s stronger turnover intentions are highly correlated with dissatisfaction with research support, advancement opportunities, and free expression of ideas. The findings suggest that the underrepresentation of women is more convincingly explained by an academic culture that provides women fewer opportunities, limited support, and inequity in leadership, rather than by gender-based differences such as roles in family responsibilities. Changes in academic STEM culture are needed in order to attract more women scientists and narrow the current gender gap. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Career Outcomes of STEM and Non-STEM College Graduates: Persistence in Majored-Field and Influential Factors in Career Choices

Using data from a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of college graduates, this study examines student transition from college to their chosen career paths and identifies factors influencing college graduates\u27 choosing an occupation related to ones\u27 undergraduate major. Within the context of expanded econometric framework a wide range of variables are considered, including monetary and nonmonetary costs and benefits as well as cultural and social capital measures. Using multinomial logit regression analyses, the results suggest positive career outcomes associated with individuals who have an occupation closely related to their college major, such as a better income profile and greater job satisfaction. Major-based differences are also examined between STEM and non-STEM graduates, and patterns of changes are documented for 10 years after graduation. An important perspective offered by this study is to consider career outcome as an extended definition of institutional effectiveness and student success. Based on the empirical findings, policy implications are discussed with the hope of bringing attention and improvement to the relationship between the higher educational system and the labor market. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Equality at the Starting Line? Gender- and Race-Based Differences at the Transition from Law School to the Legal Profession

Data from a longitudinal national survey, After the JD (AJD) Study, are used to investigate how the number of job offers law school graduates received from private and public employers are influenced by individuals’ social, cultural, human and economic capitals, and how job offers as an outcome of law education influence individuals’ income after controlling for other-income generating factors. The results indicated that women and minorities received significantly lower numbers of job offers than men from private employers after controlling for factors such as law school ranking, foreign-born parent(s), and personal finance of law education. In addition, the number of job offers from private employers had a positive impact on annual income two years after graduation for both male and female lawyers that was even stronger than the ranking of law school attended. The significant differences between genders and among individuals of different racial backgrounds are a clear indication of inequality and against the commitment to diversity in the legal system

An exploration of using data mining in educational research

Technology advances popularized large databases in education. Traditional statistics have limitations for analyzing large quantities of data. This article discusses data mining by analyzing a data set with three models: multiple regression, data mining, and a combination of the two. It is concluded that data mining is applicable in educational research. Copyright © 2005 JMASM, Inc

The Experience and Persistence of College Students in STEM Majors

In this study, an online survey was constructed based on the extant literature on college student success. The survey was used to collect data from a sample of college students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in order to examine their learning experiences and to identify the factors that may influence their persistence to degree completion. The findings support the theoretical modeling of the academic and social aspects of student college experience. Nonetheless, it is the institutional conditions, particularly the quality of academic program and faculty teaching and accessibility, which dominate the STEM students’ college experience and their persistence in academic major and to graduation. Therefore, it is critical for academic institutions to invest in a supportive learning environment by emphasizing quality teaching, accessible academic advising, and related functions in order to successfully engage STEM students in college education and increase their likelihood of degree completion

Attrition of Women in STEM: Examining Job/Major Congruence in the Career Choices of College Graduates

Data from a national survey are used to examine how individual characteristics and social structural factors may influence college graduates choosing an occupation that is congruent with their undergraduate field of study. Analysis is conducted separately for males and females and for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM majors. Comparisons between the subgroups help to identify factors that may contribute to improving career outcomes and, in particular, lowering the attrition rates in STEM at transition from college to employment. The results suggest that positive career outcomes, such as better earnings and greater job satisfaction, are associated with individuals having an occupation congruent with their college major. STEM graduates have a lower unemployment rate than non-STEM graduates, but female presence in STEM majors remains low; and gender inequality (salary and employment status) in STEM occupations is significant from the very beginning of postbaccalaureate employment

Localizing College Retention Efforts: The Distance between Theoretical Orientation and Institution-Specific Needs

The study used a theoretically guided questionnaire to examine student experience in college and to gain a better understanding about how college environment affects student persistence. Data were collected from a single four-year institution; the findings suggest that institutional control over academic quality is the most critical factor in reducing students’ dropout intention along with their ability to pay for college education. The results highlight the inconsistency between the specific needs of students in their particular academic settings and the dominant theoretical frameworks that focus on academic and social engagement, and these results offer encouragement for localized retention interventions based on sufficient understanding of students’ experiences