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Minoritized Students In Stem Pathways At Community Colleges
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Book Synopsis Minoritized Students in STEM Pathways at Community Colleges by : Michael Jason Babcock
Download or read book Minoritized Students in STEM Pathways at Community Colleges written by Michael Jason Babcock and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Community colleges are a prominent academic pathway for future scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, and serve as a gateway to higher education for traditionally marginalized student populations. Because of this, community colleges are uniquely positioned to combat the underrepresentation of African American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students in STEM. Research on students of color in STEM, however, has traditionally focused on K-12 schools and four-year colleges and universities, leaving a gap in our understanding about the role of community colleges in shaping student intentions to pursue STEM careers. To address that gap, this study examined students as they pursued a degree in STEM at a community college, for the purposes of contributing to our understandings of students of color in these environments. Utilizing science identity framing and longitudinal multi-case study methods, this study followed thirteen students as they navigated the community college and made decisions regarding their pursuit of a future in STEM fields. Specifically, this study illuminates the racialized nature of STEM at a community college, student thinking around choices to opt into or out of STEM, and the decision-making around choices to persist. Insight into the social and contextual factors underlying students’ persistence demonstrates that students of color (especially women of color) do encounter hostile experiences within STEM contexts at community colleges, but how they respond to those hostilities influences persistence. Students who attribute hostilities such as micro-aggressions to the biases of others are more likely to persist. Students who do not attribute those hostilities to others are more likely to assume their experiences are attributable to the fact they do not belong in STEM. The findings establish the importance of recognizing and acknowledging the racialized and gendered nature of STEM, both in academic settings and at home, for those working to find belonging in fields where they have traditionally been excluded.
Book Synopsis Community Colleges and STEM by : Robert T. Palmer
Download or read book Community Colleges and STEM written by Robert T. Palmer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As United States policymakers and national leaders are increasing their attention to producing workers skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), community colleges are being called on to address persistence of minorities in these disciplines. In this important volume, contributors discuss the role of community colleges in facilitating access and success to racial and ethnic minority students in STEM. Chapters explore how community colleges can and do facilitate the STEM pipeline, as well as the experiences of these students in community college, including how psychological factors, developmental coursework, expertiential learning, and motivation affect student success. Community Colleges and STEM ultimately provides recommendations to help increase retention and persistence. This important book is a crucial resource for higher education institutions and community colleges as they work to advance success among racial and ethnic minorities in STEM education.
Author :National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Publisher :National Academies Press ISBN 13 :0309484448 Total Pages :255 pages Book Rating :4.3/5 (94 download)
Book Synopsis Minority Serving Institutions by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Download or read book Minority Serving Institutions written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-02-05 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.
Book Synopsis New Developments in Pathways Towards Diversity and Inclusion in STEM: A United States Perspective by : Alexander Gates
Download or read book New Developments in Pathways Towards Diversity and Inclusion in STEM: A United States Perspective written by Alexander Gates and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-10-17 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program of the US National Science Foundation has been a primary force for raising the success and graduation of minority students in STEM for 30 years. Increasing the number of underrepresented students earning baccalaureate degrees, and entering graduate school in STEM is the goal of LSAMP. This goal has been nearly achieved through the formation of alliances of degree granting institutions of higher learning, varying from community colleges to major research institutions. Currently there are 59 alliances including more than 400 institutions. LSAMP is responsible for more than 650,000 bachelor’s degrees earned by minority students in STEM. The papers for this Research Topic should focus on the use of LSAMP activities, programs and collaborations to develop pathways to success and graduation of STEM majors from minority groups that underrepresented in STEM. These pathways can include any segment from pre-college through graduate school. Areas of special interest include mentoring, research experiences, transitions between levels and novel approaches for retention. The studies should be research based and rigorous. They can be pure research studies, curriculum and design or literature reviews but they must be at a cutting edge level and be subject to detailed review and assessment.
Book Synopsis Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM by : Robert T. Palmer
Download or read book Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM written by Robert T. Palmer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To maintain competitiveness in the global economy, United States policymakers and national leaders are increasing their attention to producing workers skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Given the growing minority population in the country, it is critical that higher education policies, pedagogies, climates, and initiatives are effective in promoting racial and ethnic minority students’ educational attainment in STEM. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) have shown efficacy in facilitating the success of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM and are collectively responsible for producing nearly one-third of the nation’s minority STEM graduates. In Fostering Success of Ethnic and Racial Minorities in STEM, well-known contributors share salient institutional characteristics, unique aspects of climate, pedagogy, and programmatic initiatives at MSIs that are instrumental in enhancing the success of racial and ethnic minority students in STEM education. This book provides recommendations on institutional practice, policy, and lessons that any institution can use on their campus to foster better retention and persistence among minority students. Higher Education leaders and administrators interested in encouraging achievement among racial and ethnic minority students in STEM education will find this book a welcomed and timely addition to the discourse on promoting minority student success.
Book Synopsis Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation by : Institute of Medicine
Download or read book Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-07-29 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and technology workforce. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation explores the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive. According to the book, the U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector in the coming years, making minority participation in STEM education at all levels a national priority. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation analyzes the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce. Although minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population, they are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Historically, there has been a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the growth in and global leadership of the economy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation suggests that the federal government, industry, and post-secondary institutions work collaboratively with K-12 schools and school systems to increase minority access to and demand for post-secondary STEM education and technical training. The book also identifies best practices and offers a comprehensive road map for increasing involvement of underrepresented minorities and improving the quality of their education. It offers recommendations that focus on academic and social support, institutional roles, teacher preparation, affordability and program development.
Book Synopsis STEM Models of Success by : J. Luke Wood
Download or read book STEM Models of Success written by J. Luke Wood and published by IAP. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the U.S. focuses on positioning itself to retain and advance its status as a world leader in technology and scientific innovation, a recognition that community colleges are a critical site for intervention has become apparent. Community colleges serve the lion’s share of the nation’s postsecondary students. In fact, 40% of all undergraduate students are enrolled in community colleges, these students account for nearly 30% of all STEM undergraduate majors in postsecondary institutions. These students serve as a core element of the STEM pipeline into four-year colleges and universities via the community college transfer function. Moreover, community colleges are the primary postsecondary access point for non-traditional students, including students of color, first-generation, low-income, and adult students. This is a particularly salient point given that these populations are sordidly underrepresented among STEM graduates and in the STEM workforce. Increasing success among these populations can contribute significantly to advancing the nation’s interests in STEM. As such, the community college is situated as an important site for innovative practices that have strong implications for bolstering the nation’s production and sustenance of a STEM labor force. In recognition of this role, the National Science Foundation and private funding agencies have invested millions of dollars into research and programs designed to bolster the STEM pipeline. From this funding and other independently sponsored inquiry, promising programs, initiatives, and research recommendations have been identified. These efforts hold great promise for change, with the potential to transform the education and outcome of STEM students at all levels. This important book discusses many of these promising programs, initiatives, and research-based recommendations that can impact the success of STEM students in the community college. This compilation is timely, on the national landscape, as the federal government has placed increasing importance on improving STEM degree production as a strategy for America’s future stability in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Informed by research and theory, each chapter in this volume blazes new territory in articulating how community colleges can advance outcomes for students in STEM, particularly those from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.
Book Synopsis Students of Color in STEM by : Shaun R. Harper
Download or read book Students of Color in STEM written by Shaun R. Harper and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-04 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A source of fresh insights into the status of racial minorities in STEM and the drivers determining minority student success This volume in the acclaimed New Directions for Institutional Success provides answers to some of the most pressing questions regarding racial and ethnic minorities in STEM education. Featuring contributions from educators representing the gamut of institutions of higher learning, from large research universities to community colleges, it delves into the latest research into the factors determining racial minority student success in STEM education. And it provides important practical insights into student underperformance and racial disparities in STEM as well as the drivers of minority student success in STEM.
Book Synopsis Feeling Different by : Rachel Hazard Wade
Download or read book Feeling Different written by Rachel Hazard Wade and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Community colleges play a key role in serving the higher education needs of students in this country. This includes more than 40% of all Bachelor Degree graduates in science and engineering and approximately 50% of all students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups. While it is well known who attends community colleges and who majors in STEM, the role community colleges play in the decisions of underrepresented minorities to pursue Bachelor's degree in STEM fields is not known. The goal of this research was to better understand the role the community college environment plays in URM students' academic and social integration on campus and their college and STEM major persistence intentions. In this study, a STEM identity model was used to make sense of the STEM experiences of eight underrepresented students in community college. The findings of this study include: (1) guidance and support was a significant input to academic and social integration for all participants and influenced identity integration for some participants; (2) altruism emerged as an important part of STEM identity and persistence intentions of participants; (3) inclusion and exclusion were important to STEM identity development and overall identity integration, academic and social integration, and ultimately informed participants' persistence decisions.
Book Synopsis Identity Development during STEM Integration for Underrepresented Minority Students by : Sophie L. Kuchynka
Download or read book Identity Development during STEM Integration for Underrepresented Minority Students written by Sophie L. Kuchynka and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades, research efforts and interventions have been implemented across the United States to increase the persistence of underrepresented minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This Element systematically compares STEM interventions that offer resources and opportunities related to mentorship, research, and more. We organize the findings of this literature into a multi-phase framework of STEM integration and identity development. We propose four distinct phases of STEM integration: Phase 1: High School; Phase 2: Summer before College; Phase 3: First Year of College; and Phase 4: Second Year of College through Graduation. We combine tenets of theories about social identity, stereotypes and bias, and the five-factor operationalization of identity formation to describe each phase of STEM integration. Findings indicate the importance of exploration through exposure to STEM material, mentorship, and diverse STEM communities. We generalize lessons from STEM interventions to URM students across institutions.
Book Synopsis Growing Diverse STEM Communities by : Leyte L. Winfield
Download or read book Growing Diverse STEM Communities written by Leyte L. Winfield and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-22 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Role of the MSEIP grant in the success of STEM undergraduate research at Queensborough Community College and beyond -- Enhancing student engagement with peer-led team learning and course-based undergraduate research experiences -- Aiming toward an effective Hispanic serving chemistry curriculum -- Computational chemistry and biology courses for undergraduates at an HBCU : cultivating a diverse computational science community -- NanoHU : a boundary-spanning education model for maximizing human and intellectual capital -- Design and implementation of a STEM student success program at Grambling State University -- The role of the ReBUILDetroit Scholars Program at Wayne State University in broadening participation in STEM -- "Using scholars programs to enhance success of underrepresented students in chemistry, biomedical sciences, and STEM" -- The MARC U*STAR Program at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) 1997-2018 -- Pathways to careers in science, engineering, and math -- Leadership dimensions for broadening participation in STEM : the role of HBCUs and MSIs -- Bloom where you are planted : a model for campus climate change to retain minoritzed faculty scholars in STEM fields -- Maximizing mentoring : enhancing the impact of mentoring programs and initiatives through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development at Xavier University of Louisiana -- Mentors, mentors everywhere : weaving informal and formal mentoring into a robust chemical sciences mentoring quilt -- Using technology to foster peer mentoring relationships : development of a virtual peer mentorship model for broadening participation in STEM.
Download or read book On My Own written by Xueli Wang and published by Harvard Education Press. This book was released on 2021-02-18 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2020 ASHE Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP) Barbara Townsend Lecture Award 2021 Transfer Champion-Catalyst Award from the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) 2021 Outstanding Publication Award, AERA Division J Publication and Research On My Own: The Challenge and Promise of Building Equitable STEM Transfer Pathways is the first book of its kind to provide a detailed, on-the-ground examination of the difficult paths—curricular, interpersonal, and institutional—that students must chart through community college. The book follows 1,670 two-year college students over four years as they begin STEM programs in the Midwest and documents their educational and life experiences as they moved toward, or away, from the prospect of transfer to a four-year institution. Their stories reveal that they were on their own, left to navigate the pathways to transfer without meaningful institutional support. The students pursued one of four pathways, or momentum trajectories: linear upward, detoured, deferred, or taking a break. The preexisting and lasting disparities in their access to education and financial resources, their experiences with teaching and advising, and the conundrum between support from and for family, among others, propelled them onto different trajectories in their quest for transfer. As this book makes painfully clear, the current state of transfer acts as a mechanism that perpetuates and worsens inequities in educational outcomes. As Xueli Wang argues, to cultivate an equitable STEM transfer pathway, culturally relevant and responsive supports that are accessible, welcoming, and validating must be put in place at the institutional level and appeal to the talent, motivation, and unique needs of historically marginalized students. In doing so, postsecondary institutions will be better positioned to fulfill their promise as an equitable pathway to bachelor’s degrees and beyond.
Book Synopsis Assessing Influential Factors on High School and Community College Students' STEM Pathways by : Rosalia Chavez Zarate
Download or read book Assessing Influential Factors on High School and Community College Students' STEM Pathways written by Rosalia Chavez Zarate and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women, Latinx and African-American students continue to be underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and STEM related jobs. As we think about ways to increase STEM professionals, we need to consider what impacts students' career choice into STEM, especially among students who continue to be underrepresented in these fields. My dissertation consists of three studies, which highlight how students' STEM pathways are influenced by factors that are both in and out of their control. I focus on understanding changes in high school students' STEM major intent, as well as factors that may impact community college students' STEM major pathways. The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) was used in Study 1 to assess how school level factors impact high school students' STEM intent from their freshman to junior year, using multi-level modeling and the status-attainment theory. I assessed if student groups (e.g., low-income students, Latinx/African-American students) attend schools with different amounts of resources (certified school personnel, academic assistance, percent of hours counselors assist students, and STEM courses/programs). And secondly, how those four resources impact students' change in STEM intent from 9th to 11th grade (e.g., change from being interested in STEM to being disinterested, or change from being disinterested in STEM to being interested in STEM majors). My first paper reveals students from different backgrounds attend schools with different school resources, and interestingly findings reveal that Black students attend schools with more of these resources in comparison to white students; Hispanic students attend schools with more certified school personnel. In addition to having varying access to resources, there are also differences in how students from different backgrounds are impacted by these resources. Although, school resources in general did not impact STEM intent, academic assistance and STEM course/program availability positively impacts Black students STEM intent (persisting or adding into STEM), while only STEM course and program availability positively impact Hispanic students' STEM persistence. This study reveals different groups of students may benefit from different resources in comparison to white students; their access to these resources may differ as well as their experiences with these resources. Moreover, students may have access to resources, but these resources may not be living up to their full potential in enabling students in their STEM journey to find a successful career path in a STEM field. In Study 2, I transition into community colleges where many underrepresented, low-income, students of color begin their postsecondary education. In this study I assess how programs, which are designed to assist students in their academic journey impact different enrollment and degree completion outcomes. Specifically, how math remediation impacts students' academic and STEM momentum and the type of degree students obtain. Remediation may have unintended negative impacts on students since it requires them to take an additional math course, thereby lengthening their required coursework. This study observes students who began their community college journey in two colleges in California (CaliBay1 and CaliBay2) during the 2010-2013 academic years. Regression discontinuity (RD) analysis is used to estimate the causal effects of being assigned to upper-level math remediation. Results reveal remediation does not encourage or discourage students from enrolling for one, three, six, or nine quarters, but has a positive impact on students' passing their first math course, which may serve as a positive factor on their academic momentum. Remediation also has a positive impact on earning an Associate of Arts/Bachelor of Arts, but importantly a negative impact on obtaining an Associate of Science/Bachelor of Science degree. However, the negative impact of obtaining an Associate of Science degree is not as precise as that of earning an AA/BA. When focusing on students' that started in with a STEM related interest, there was no significant impact of math remediation on them persisting in STEM (earning an AS/BS), although this is also not a precise estimate given only 149 out of 2,018 students persisted in STEM. Seeing that very few students' start in STEM and even fewer persist Study 3 focuses on understanding the complex STEM pathways of Latinx students in community colleges. Community college is part of many students' STEM pathway, especially for Latinx students in California. Latinx students tend to be overrepresented in community colleges and remediation courses (Snyder, De Brey, & Dillow, 2016; Jones, Sugar, Baumgardner, Raymond, Moore, Davidson, & Denham, 2012). Thus, in order to better understand the experiences of a particular group in community college and their pathway in and out of STEM, I conducted exploratory semi-structured interviews of 18 Latinx students. This last paper focuses on the different internal and external factors that impact Latinx students' major choice and academic decisions (e.g., course taking options). This study reveals the complexity of their everyday lives trying to complete STEM course sequences while working part-or full-time jobs, the importance of having access to good course assistance, how students' engage with STEM, what Latinx students do to be successful in these fields, and what community colleges can do to assist them with their needs. This study also discusses the factors that are impacting community college Latinx students who switch from STEM to non-STEM fields or non-STEM to STEM fields, and how their experiences in their coursework (e.g., remedial versus college level math) differs and impacts their major of choice. By combining the status attainment theory framework and community cultural wealth conceptual framework, this study demonstrates how students connect different academic and personal interests with their degree and career goals, as well as the capital and persistence students bring from their culture and their upbringing to their academics. My dissertation addresses diverse factors that impact students at different points of their STEM pathway. By understanding the impact of diverse programs, educators and policy makers can use this information to assess how they can enhance particular resources and how they can improve STEM education especially for Latinx students. For example, policy makers and institutions of higher education can work together to create better work-study programs that align with students' interests and design programs that allow students to shadow STEM professionals. This policy relevant dissertation contributes to our knowledge on vulnerable communities in an academic area where students of color are needed and continue to be underrepresented. My research shows how resources may have unintended impacts for students and how resources also have differential impacts for different groups of students. Not all students are exposed to the same resources, or the same capital, particularly the social capital and social networks that can open the door to STEM interests or potential STEM careers. There are school resources that appear to have the ability to assist and engage students, but are not being implemented to their full potential. Students should have the opportunity to explore STEM fields and understand what STEM degrees consist of before dismissing it as an option.
Book Synopsis Racial and Ethnic Minority Student Success in STEM Education by : Samuel D. Museus
Download or read book Racial and Ethnic Minority Student Success in STEM Education written by Samuel D. Museus and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An indispensable resource for teachers, administrators, and researchers involved with STEM education This book distills the findings of more than three-hundred published works concerned with minority students in STEM education. It gives the most complete picture possible of what is known about ethnic and racial minorities in STEM education and provides valuable guidance on how readers can apply those insights to enhance their efforts to facilitate student success in STEM learning. In addition, the authors develop a rigorous model to help facilitate and direct research, policy, and practices in minority STEM education.
Book Synopsis Community Colleges and STEM by : Robert T. Palmer
Download or read book Community Colleges and STEM written by Robert T. Palmer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As United States policymakers and national leaders are increasing their attention to producing workers skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), community colleges are being called on to address persistence of minorities in these disciplines. In this important volume, contributors discuss the role of community colleges in facilitating access and success to racial and ethnic minority students in STEM. Chapters explore how community colleges can and do facilitate the STEM pipeline, as well as the experiences of these students in community college, including how psychological factors, developmental coursework, expertiential learning, and motivation affect student success. Community Colleges and STEM ultimately provides recommendations to help increase retention and persistence. This important book is a crucial resource for higher education institutions and community colleges as they work to advance success among racial and ethnic minorities in STEM education.
Book Synopsis A Study of Underrepresented Individuals who Utilized Community Colleges as Pathways to Gain Admission Into Engineering Schools at Four-year Universities by : Samer Musa Batarseh
Download or read book A Study of Underrepresented Individuals who Utilized Community Colleges as Pathways to Gain Admission Into Engineering Schools at Four-year Universities written by Samer Musa Batarseh and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2008, about 4% of all undergraduate degrees awarded in the United States were in engineering compared to 31% in China and about 19% throughout Asia (National Science Foundation, 2012). Based on current graduation rates, the United States is still expected to experience shortages in university graduates with engineering degrees (Sinkele & Mupinga, 2011). According to the National Foundation of American Policy (2010), in the 10 years between 2000 and 2010, American companies hired 890,100 scientists and engineers through the usage of H-1B visas. According to the National Science Foundation (2013), "Women, persons with disabilities, and three racial/ethnic groups-African Americans, Latinos, and American Indians- are considered underrepresented in science and engineering" (p. 2). According to the U.S. Census (2010), within the labor market for engineers with four-year university degrees, African Americans make up 3.2% of the workforce while making up 12% of the total population. Latinos/as make up 4.7% of the workforce while making up 16% of the total population. White females make up 7.5% of the workforce while making up 32% of the U.S. (U.S. Census, 2010). Many female and underrepresented minority students often opt for community colleges as gateways to higher education. Open access, closeness to work and family, and affordable fees make community colleges ideal options for all especially minority students (Tsapogas, 2004). To meet the demands of the labor market and maintain a global leadership position in innovative technologies, the United States can tap into underrepresented groups in engineering within the American populations to solve the problem of the shortage of engineers within the American labor market (Frehill, Di Fabio, & Hill, 2008). This qualitative study was based on personal interviews with 14 successful individuals from underrepresented groups in engineering. Using semi-structured interviews this qualitative study sought to understand the perceptions and experiences of participants. Data were collected from participants using demographic surveys and semi-structured individual interview questions. The sample of participants included 14 individuals from underrepresented groups in engineering who had first attended a community college prior to obtaining entry into a four-year college engineering program. This study explored the lived experiences of three African American males, three White females, and five Latinos, and three Latinos who were successful in using community colleges as pathways to gain admission into engineering schools at four-year universities. This qualitative study was influenced by the cultural capital model (Bourdieu, 1986) and the anti-deficit achievement model (Harper, 2010). The study sought to find answer to the following research questions: 1) what helped these successful individuals choose community colleges as pathways towards engineering majors? 2) What helped the participants complete the transfer journey from community colleges to engineering schools at four-year universities? and 3) What long-term academic and career goals were shaped by the community college experience? Based on the findings of this study, the participants chose community colleges as pathways based on low cost, location, experimenting with higher education, peer pressure, and remediation. The factors that helped the participants complete the transfer journey from community colleges to engineering schools at four-year universities were achieving the rite of passage to higher education while staying at home, receiving support from passionate instructors, having rigorous curriculum, learning new pedagogies, completing internships, and joining campus clubs. The community college experience had a big impact on the academic and career plans of participants who stated they wanted to work as engineers, pursue graduate studies, undertake entrepreneurship, and pay back to their community through volunteering and mentoring. Based on the findings in this study, prior to the community college stage, parents should take the responsibility of supporting, influencing, and planning children's STEM plans early in life and communicate their plans to teachers and administrators. New community college students should be prepared for the rigor of science and math courses at community colleges by taking the necessary courses in high school. During the community college stage, future engineers should get involved in math, science, and engineering clubs, seek advice from academic counselors, learn multitasking and time management skills, join study groups, and complete available challenging courses before transferring. At the post community college stage, students should get involved in engineering societies and clubs, complete engineering internships, and seek anti-deficit agents or mentors. From a transformational leadership perspective, this study recommends that K-12 leaders plant the engineering seeds early among young students. The study calls for better collaboration among parents, students, leaders in K-12 institutions, community colleges, four-year university systems, and engineering sector employers. The study recommends better understanding of the challenges, strengths, wants, and needs of underrepresented groups in engineering. The study also recommends community college leaders create awareness about community colleges as viable and feasible pathways for bachelor's degrees in engineering, improving student services including counseling and advising for engineering transfer students, and create more academic clubs and activities on community college campuses. From a public policy perspective, this study recommends establishing mandates and incentives to create tangible collaboration among high schools, community colleges, and four-year universities. Also, the study recommends influencing policymakers through emphasizing the economic value of community colleges and the high return on investment (ROI) of using community colleges as pathways. Also, the study recommends highlighting the voting power of underrepresented groups and the need to transform the current funding model for California community colleges. From a data-based decision making perspective, the study recommends better uses for using current demographic data to properly plan for future academic plans and the use of historical data to improve student services. Based on the findings of this study, when understood and utilized properly by students and parents, the community college system could provide the necessary dispositions to provide underrepresented students with anti-deficit support and cultural capital to access higher education and succeed in earning high ROI degrees like engineering.
Author :National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Publisher :National Academies Press ISBN 13 :0309373573 Total Pages :215 pages Book Rating :4.3/5 (93 download)
Book Synopsis Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Download or read book Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-06-18 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly 40 percent of the students entering 2- and 4-year postsecondary institutions indicated their intention to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in 2012. But the barriers to students realizing their ambitions are reflected in the fact that about half of those with the intention to earn a STEM bachelor's degree and more than two-thirds intending to earn a STEM associate's degree fail to earn these degrees 4 to 6 years after their initial enrollment. Many of those who do obtain a degree take longer than the advertised length of the programs, thus raising the cost of their education. Are the STEM educational pathways any less efficient than for other fields of study? How might the losses be "stemmed" and greater efficiencies realized? These questions and others are at the heart of this study. Barriers and Opportunities for 2-Year and 4-Year STEM Degrees reviews research on the roles that people, processes, and institutions play in 2-and 4-year STEM degree production. This study pays special attention to the factors that influence students' decisions to enter, stay in, or leave STEM majorsâ€"quality of instruction, grading policies, course sequences, undergraduate learning environments, student supports, co-curricular activities, students' general academic preparedness and competence in science, family background, and governmental and institutional policies that affect STEM educational pathways. Because many students do not take the traditional 4-year path to a STEM undergraduate degree, Barriers and Opportunities describes several other common pathways and also reviews what happens to those who do not complete the journey to a degree. This book describes the major changes in student demographics; how students, view, value, and utilize programs of higher education; and how institutions can adapt to support successful student outcomes. In doing so, Barriers and Opportunities questions whether definitions and characteristics of what constitutes success in STEM should change. As this book explores these issues, it identifies where further research is needed to build a system that works for all students who aspire to STEM degrees. The conclusions of this report lay out the steps that faculty, STEM departments, colleges and universities, professional societies, and others can take to improve STEM education for all students interested in a STEM degree.
