2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Why Students Choose STEM: A Study of High School Factors That Influence College STEM Major Choice

Presented at Investigating Student Pathways to and through Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

As our national workforce continues to grow, attracting and retaining postsecondary students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields remains a priority. A student’s interest in a STEM major often begins at the precollege level, and their precollege experience can determine their later academic trajectory. While interest in STEM often begins at the middle school or earlier, a student’s high school experience can affect whether a student maintains or loses their interest. In order to understand a student’s high school experience, this study focuses on the high school factors, student demographic characteristics, and academic achievement factors that inform college-going and STEM major choice. For this study, data come from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), which is a nationally representative longitudinal study following over 23,000 students from 2009 to 2016. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses to correlate high school, demographic, academic achievement factors from the 2009 and 2012 data collection waves to a student’s likelihood of attending college and majoring in a STEM field. The high school level factors that were found to be significant predictors for college STEM major declaration include the student’s family background, high school STEM GPA, and measures for math/science identity. The findings are mixed and suggest further research is needed, particularly in disaggregating the math/science self-efficacy, identity, and utility measures, as well as in investigating potential differences in major choice by field separately, rather than STEM in the aggregate. Research findings can be used to inform policies and programs aimed at increasing diversity and inclusivity in STEM fields, as well as to identify areas where additional support and resources may be needed to help students succeed.

Authors

Dr. Joyce B. Main http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3984-533X Purdue University [biography]

Joyce B. Main is Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She received an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. degree in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy.
Tram Dang Purdue University [biography]

Tram Dang is a PhD student of Engineering Education at Purdue University as well as a tenured professor of physics and engineering at Santa Monica College (SMC), a two-year transfer-focused Hispanic serving institution in California. Her research interests lie in using mixed methods techniques to understand the factors leading to STEM and engineering student retention and university transfer at the community college level. Tram Dang currently holds her Master’s in Materials Science and Engineering as well as her Bachelor’s in Physics from UCSD.
Beata Johnson Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) [biography]

Beata Johnson is an Engineering Education Ph.D. student at Purdue University and recipient of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. Her research interests include extracurricular and exper
Qian Shi Purdue University [biography]

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Dr. Cesare Guariniello Purdue University [biography]

Cesare Guariniello is a Research Scientist in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Purdue University. He holds two Master’s degrees, in Automation and Robotics Engineering and in Astronautical Engineering, from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, and a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University. His research ranges from System-of-Systems design and architecting to space applications, cybersecurity, and defense and includes projects with NASA, the US DoD, the US Navy. Cesare recently expanded his research in the field of Earth Sciences, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Planetary Geology. He is a senior member of IEEE and AIAA, and member of INCOSE.
Daniel Delaurentis Purdue University [biography]

Dr. Daniel DeLaurentis is a Professor in Purdueâ€™s School of Aeronautics & Astronautics. Dr. DeLaurentis is co-lead of the Enterprises as Systems and System of Systems Thrust Area and Chief Scientist in the DoD Systems Engineering Research Center (SE

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