Factors promoting early interest and preparation in math and science among underresourced students : differences between those who are interested in and prepared in third grade and those who are not

Abstract

and Improvement (2016), "The inequities in STEM education along racial and ethnic, linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic, gender, disability, and geographic lines are especially troubling because of the powerful role a foundational STEM education can play and because the gaps are so pronounced in STEM" (p. 1). So how did one ensure that all students were both interested and prepared in math and science? The conventional wisdom was that such interest and preparation was cultivated in college, as many math and science jobs were dependent on higher education. Research sponsored by organizations such as the National Science Foundation focused on increasing math, science, and engineering college graduates as their primary objective due to the fact that their conception of the relevant workforce was limited to professional scientists and engineers. However, studies such as Tyson, Lee, Borman, and Hanson (2007) revealed that students' conceptions of career possibilities actually developed in high school, before they were even thinking of which particular college to attend. In fact, a student's preconception of what they wanted to do professionally played a role in college decision-making (Bottia, Stearns, Mickelson, Moller, and Parker, 2015). This led to a push for more math and science coursework at the high-school level. According to a 2006 report by the ACT, students who "…have access to high-level and rigorous coursework are more likely to be prepared for and succeed in the STEM fields" (p. 1). These courses were designed to both inspire interest in fields students might not otherwise be exposed to, as well as prepare them academically. But the needle for interest and preparation did not seem to move much despite this infusion of support. shifted. A report by Morrell and Parker (2015) on behalf of a coalition led by the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity made several important points in this area, including:  46% of current workers in STEM jobs were age 45 or older, pointing to a major employment cliff that would emerge when these workers retire (p.1).  The participation of women in STEM jobs had remained almost unchanged since 2001 (p. 5).  While the percentage of the working population in the U.S. that was African-American or Latinx had increased steadily over the past number of years, their participation in STEM jobs had remained stagnant since about 2008 (p.5).  While scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress had generally increased for all populations, achievement gaps based on race/ethnicity had remained significant (p. 8). Deficiencies in the evidence. Research associated with young children's interest in, and preparation for math-and science-related fields was very thin. Of the articles reviewed for this study, only about 10% were associated with interest and preparation in elementary school and of those only about one quarter were specifically about math (none were associated with science). The elementary school level articles reviewed covered a range of approaches to understandi...