The Road to Becoming a Scientist: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Supports and Barriers Experienced by First-Year Community College Students

Abstract

Background Although a long line of research has been devoted to transfer pathways in general, there remains limited work on the capacity for community colleges to cultivate STEM baccalaureate transfer. In particular, both quantitative and qualitative evidence is extremely sparse on how STEM-aspiring students beginning at community colleges experience supports and barriers on their journey to pursue a STEM baccalaureate. Purpose This mixed-methods study addresses the question: What salient factors are associated with beginning community college STEM students’ decisions to transfer into baccalaureate STEM programs, and how do students describe the supports and barriers they experienced specifically pertaining to these factors? Research Design Guided by the STEM Transfer model, we carried out this research using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. We incorporated survey, administrative, and interview data from three large two-year institutions in a Midwestern state. We applied Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques to identify factors associated with beginning community college STEM students’ decisions to transfer into baccalaureate STEM programs. Based on the factors that emerged from ANN, we analyzed the interview data to give meaning to the identified factors using students’ rich descriptions of their experiences. Findings Results from the ANN revealed that students’ initial attitudes toward science was the most salient factor related to transfer in STEM. Following that, GPA, students’ initial attitudes toward math, transfer capital, being employed full time, major declaration, science preparation in high school, income levels above middle level, and transfer efficacy also turned out to be important variables shaping students’ transfer in STEM. Qualitative results further illustrated how the factors from the ANN exerted their impact. Conclusions This mixed-methods research illuminated significant factors shaping the road to becoming a scientist, as well as how those factors manifested their influences within the contexts of students’ educational journeys. Through this approach, we were able to establish the significance of influential factors without presuming directionality and leverage the interview data to disentangle how these factors functioned independently and together in sophisticated and nuanced ways. Our study brings forth a deeper understanding of community college students’ STEM pathways, including the many plot twists and processes involved to overcome challenges and maintain progress.

Navigating STEM Major and Transfer Destination Choices: Community College Student Experiences through the Lens of Practice Theory

“…Although some students in the study entered community college with career goals and a specific major in mind due to childhood and high school experiences, consistent with recent research (Cohen & Kelly, 2019; Johnson et al, 2016; Wang, 2013b; Wang et al, 2020; Zhang & Ozuna, 2015), there were numerous ways in which student experiences during community college prompted and affirmed decisions to major in STEM, helping students hone and further develop their choices over time. This included classroom experiences, faculty support, STEM related work experience, undergraduate research and job shadowing opportunities, career workshops, and supportive advisors and peers.…”

“…Despite a substantial literature on the transfer function of community colleges (Bahr et al, 2017), not enough is known about how student experiences differ by major field of study and student background, which limits understanding of what policies and practices promote successful outcomes (Bahr et al, 2017; Bailey et al, 2015; Schudde et al, 2021; Senie, 2016; Smith et al, 2022; Taylor & Jain, 2017). This study adds to recent growth in evidence about what supports and barriers influence the trajectories of community college students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields (Cohen & Kelly, 2019; Dinh & Zhang, 2021; Maliszewski Lukszo & Hayes, 2020; Packard et al, 2012; Wang, 2020; Wang et al, 2020; Zhang, 2022; Zhang & Ozuna, 2015; Zhang et al, 2019), building in particular on Wickersham’s (2020) model of student pathways selection, by examining student decision-making around two vital aspects of vertical transfer in STEM: choice of major and choice of transfer destination institution.…”

Community values: Exploring what undergraduate engineering students value in their community college experience

“…For example, the National Science Foundation has been actively trying to promote the role of these colleges for over 20 years. Research has examined community colleges as a means to incorporate inclusion in the engineering workforce (Starobin et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2016) and the pathways of URGs to 4‐year college (Wang et al., 2020). Investigating what community college values URGs identify in their programs can help promote their participation in STEM education and transfer to four‐year engineering programs.…”