The goals of this proposal are to investigate the role that student in- and out-of-school experiences play in the formation of STEM and non-STEM related interests, task valuing, and self-efficacy; to relate motivational beliefs to STEM related educational and occupational aspirations; to examine the differences in the educational and career paths of those choosing STEM from those who do not; and to look within STEM and chart the pathway between those who enter engineering and physical sciences from those who enter the biological and social sciences. This project will increase our knowledge of (a) whether experiences with STEM related activities in- and out-of-school during the elementary and secondary school years influence STEM-related occupational/educational planning and choices during adolescence, and (b) whether the associations between these experiences and educational/occupational outcomes vary across gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and across different personality profiles.
The research will create statistical models and other analyses using the Childhood and Beyond Study (CAB) and Alfred P. Sloan Study of Youth and Social Development (SSYSD). Both longitudinal datasets include extensive measures of the experiences children and adolescents have with STEM-related and non-STEM activities and courses, as well as extensive measures of self-efficacy, affective experiences, interests, educational and career aspirations, and educational course choices. The analysis and modeling of the data will make use of such techniques as structural equation modeling (SEM), hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), and person-centered techniques, such as cluster analyses, latent class analyses, and life trees.
Much will be learned from this study. It is expected to contribute new knowledge about the STEM education pipeline and the issues, interests, and experiences of children and adolescents that affect entry and retention into that pipeline. This information could, in principle, help shape interventions designed to motivate and retain students in STEM. The project will be monitored and evaluated by a team of outside experts. A series of publications and a website will result from this award.
