Stem Programs Research Paper

Today’s college students have the opportunity and freedom to choose their major and their career path. Many factors influence the decision of a college student’s career paths including background, general interests, personal strengths, time commitment, and job outlook. Although many important decisions are made in college, one of the most important is the choice of major and career track. Out of hundreds of majors the science and engineering fields are under-represented by women. Although the numbers of women in science technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors has been increasing in the past years, women still are in the minority in the STEM fields. In her study, Lona Whitmarsh

This statistic is important because it shows how much Chicano students have struggled in school at every grade level. Compare these numbers with the white community, “84 graduate from high school, 26 graduate with a bachelor 's degree and 10 earn a professional degree...Chicanas and Chicanos, have the lowest educational attainment of any group” there is great cause for concern (Marquez). These realities have a variety of causes as these students “usually attend racially segregated, overcrowded schools” and with “poorly maintained facilities, students are often enrolled in classes where undertrained, under credentialed faculty attempt to teach with minimal resources” many as "tracked into remedial or vocational program” (Marquez). David Scott ran data in academic performances by ethnic-studies students and states that Chicano students do better in school when having these programs available because they are a "substantial boost" for those poorest students (Scott 2012). If they don’t have these programs the result then is that “they drop out, or are pushed, out of the educational pipeline in higher numbers than any other group” (Marquez). While enrolled, “students often describe graduate school as a place where they feel invisible” as most programs “tend to be racially exclusive with predominately white students, faculty and curricula that omit Chicano histories and perspectives” (Marquez). For this reason, it is suggested by Scott for imperative

Some implications of this study are that women- only STEM programs can benefit women in general, but minorities in particular, and these kinds of programs should be studied and implemented to assure that women will get the help they need to succeed. The question that this study leaves unanswered, that Rosenthal, L., London, B., & Levy, S.R. (2011) answer, is: What explains this sense of belonging that women feel?

Columbia is breaking through barriers of not only lack of women in STEM, but of minorities, and the ethnic diversity of Columbia Engineering and Columbia’s focus

Minorities are a growing segment of the population. However, this group continues to be underrepresented in the area of post secondary education. Obtaining an advanced degree remains a likely predictor of future career success. The problem facing the minority student is that barriers persist which continue to hinder enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in institutions of higher education. These barriers must be identified and examined and solutions offered if college completion rates are to be increased for this population.

Many programs are targeted to support members of minority, low income, disabled, or first generation students (Kezar, 2000). The main focus of most programs is to give disadvantaged students the same chance of graduating as non-minority students (Ohland & Crockett, 2002). Several common factors play a role in impeding minority acclimation into the college environment, which include: a lack of academic preparation, a lack of peers with common characteristics, and financial need

Toglia, research suggests that “lack of influence develop early in childhoods which are results of factors such as socioeconomic status, parent’s occupations, education levels, and parental expectations” (Toglia, 2013). The lack of support from the students’ parents, accessibility to resources, and technology are factors that may cause the discouragement of students from passing the assessments for certifications. By collaborating, the counselors and teachers can identify the students who are affected the most The data set states that 58% of males in the CTE department at Open Air High School are passing the assessments required for licensure or certification. The counselors and CTE educators should concentrate their efforts on the barriers that the female students face within the CTE department and why the female students aren’t passing the assessments for licensure. Hamilton, Malin and Hackmann states that there are several factors that contribute to female under-participation within STEM/CTE related fields which includes lack of self-confidence, loss of interest in science and math during middle school, insufficient exposure to nontraditional occupations and role models, gender-biased career guidance practice/published

All though women in STEM face many challenges as a whole, a question being posed in this study is whether or not women in math and physics intensive studies face unique obstacles. Underrepresentation in STEM seems a stubborn fact of the matter, however, it is not even across the board. The number of women present in the life sciences (sciences such as biology, environmental studies, health care, etc.), both at the academic and professional level, is much higher than the number of women present in fields that focus heavily on math, physics, and engineering. More and more women are choosing to pursue post-secondary education and enter the specialized workforce; in 2010 the AAUW found “Women currently earn over half of all doctoral degrees

Many high school students, as well as high school graduates, make the decision to become college students in the interest of furthering their education; however, there are some who go to explore opportunities the future might bring. Consider the minorities choice as a toes dip in the pool. Those exploring their future at college are committed to the work but aren't dedicating themselves to the particular education they are receiving

The Hispanic/Latino community has been known to be underrepresented on college campuses, both at the community college and four-year university level. Factors such as low-income households, poor or harsh living conditions, under-educated parents, cultural and family commitments, and unfamiliarity with the college process, all serve as unfortunate barriers that keep Hispanic/Latino students from reaching the goal of attaining college degrees. Although these barriers keep many students from succeeding, many others overcome these obstacles and continue on their paths to creating a better future for themselves. They choose to look past the expectations that society has for them and break out of the stereotypical mold. However, Hispanic/Latino students face, yet, another challenge upon successfully making it on to a college campus... the challenge of graduating.

The mentoring program for underrepresented racial minority (URM) college undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at Tacoma Community College (TCC) in Tacoma, WA has established short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes. This mentoring program aims to provide support to URMs in STEM majors to increase participant academic performance, confidence and self-efficacy, and sense of belonging within their educational department and the college campus. Furthermore, this mentoring program also aims to increase URM retention and graduation rates within STEM departments at TCC.

As a student who attended an underserved and marginalized high school, I was not afforded the resources and opportunities that some of my college classmates had been offered in high school. Rather than accepting this disadvantage as something that would obstruct my goals, I decided to do something about it. I researched reasons why students in underserved communities typically are not well trained in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields is because they don’t view it as an attainable career path. I also learned that these views are developed at a shockingly young age and because of this, the motivation to be attentive successful in a STEM classes is diminished. I thought back to childhood in an underserved community, and I, myself don’t recall seeing many doctors and engineers that came from my community or similar communities.

As evidenced by a growing number of scholarly studies and popular commentary, the United States’ falling position as a global producer in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), is of upmost concern. A multitude of stakeholders, including educational scholars and administrators, political leaders, economists, and various parties in the STEM industry, all actively work to address the STEM deficit issue. The ability to elevate the nation’s status as a top producer in STEM depends heavily on the make-up of its practitioners. The fact that underrepresented minorities – the fastest growing population in the United States – are proportionally grossly underrepresented in the STEM industry, affirms the need for concerted efforts in STEM diversity initiatives. For the United States, successful advancement in STEM demands greater focus on the matriculation, retention, and degree completion of underrepresented minority (URM) students, namely Black, Latino, and Native Americans, in STEM fields. The challenge, however, lies in the support and implementation of diversity initiatives. In the journal article, Considering Interest-Convergence Dilemma in STEM Education, Baber (2014) asserted that URM students have been subject to systemic disadvantages limiting their access to and success in STEM. Nonetheless, Baber states diversity initiatives are often viewed as a means to an end – a way to

The STEM field is no stranger to advancement and innovation. In a thriving age of technology and science, one could argue that the United States (and many countries throughout the world) have progressed a long way from the outdated technologies that were used in past decades. Yet, despite the vast progress made in the stem fields, the demographics of STEM workers are still highly outdated with its lack of racial and gender diversity. As a result of the growing number of jobs in STEM, organizations such as Black Girls Code are making steps to prepare minorities for these careers.

There seems to be a stigma present in our society, that social sciences and humanities are not as hard and require less work than science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors. In addition, women are still struggling to gain traction in STEM fields, and face gender bias quite frequently, as seen in the fact that women are only paid 77 cents for every dollar made by a man. We hypothesized that STEM majors would be rated as more academically competent than sociology majors. We also hypothesized that male students would be rated as more academically competent than female students. Finally, our combined hypothesis was that males would receive higher ratings of academic competency, overall, regardless of major. There was a total of 263 participants in this survey, 173 of them being female. Participants read paragraphs about either a sociology major named James or Jane, or an engineering major named James or Jane, and then were asked to rate how much they agreed with statements about the student, such as if the student was naturally smart. Participants were also asked how many hours they expected the student to spend studying a week. We found that the engineering students were rated higher for being naturally smart than the sociology students. Additionally, we found that the engineering students were expected to study more hours than the sociology students, and that a female undergraduate was expected to study more hours than a male undergraduate. These results