An examination of the factors that shape the recruitment and retention of women and minority students in mathematics, biology, psychology, physics, and chemistry classes and majors in comprehensive public universities. The study isgrounded in an integrative theoretical model of the factors determining academicchoice. Three levels of academic community structure will be explored--institutional, departmental, and student. The structure of students' experience in introductory courses and gender and race differences will be explored applying an expectancy-value model to the prediction of students' choices of major and describing the most influential determinants. A theoretical model for the successful recruitment and retention of women and minorities will be developed.
