By Chamia Chatman
Problem Statement
To create a more stimulating and diverse science community, there must be a push for greater access to STEM education and resources. The term STEM refers to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Unfortunately, many students from underrepresented and/or lower income backgrounds will lack interest and exposure to STEM resources. To combat this, increased programming for students prior to and during high school will ensure that education becomes equitable for those children and interest in STEM develops sooner. For the purpose of this policy, the focus will be placed on increasing middle school student exposure to STEM careers especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Background
In the United States there is a concern for the low number of individuals entering STEM careers. Despite efforts to increase investment into STEM education, STEM employers have reported that there is a scarcity of skilled employees (Wang et al., 345). As such, there is a great concern that the current curriculums within American middle and high schools will not produce qualified workers. Much of the current research on STEM career interest is focused on students during their post-secondary education. However, many researchers are beginning to notice the importance of understanding middle school STEM interest and engagement. For example, Christensen et al. indicated that students are losing interest in STEM as early as middle school (900). This was also evident in research conducted by Wiebe et. al. which showed a decline in STEM interest by grade 12 among 15,155 fourth through twelfth grade students (6). Figure 1 details the results of the surveys which asked students to score their interest in the following categories: CoreSTEM cluster, Bio/Med cluster, mathematics, science, engineering/technology and 21st century skills. A score of 1 indicated no interest and 4 was representative of high interest in a cluster. The CoreSTEM cluster included careers such as physics, mathematics, computer sciences, environmental work, and chemistry. And the Bio/Med cluster included careers in biology, medicine and veterinary science.
These results lead to many questions. One in particular is, what can be done to adjust the American education system? A possible solution is to analyze the effects of gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity on STEM career interest. The issue with this approach is that it has been difficult to fully understand how ethnicity and gender affect STEM interest. As evidence, research on differences seen among underrepresented populations has typically focused on one demographic within one STEM area. Additionally, Holmes et al. concluded that, “achievement at school in both reading and numeracy, while related to other non-significant variables such as SES[socioeconomic status] and indigenous status, is a better predictor of interest in a STEM career than these demographic variables” (664). Despite this, it is imperative to state that historically there are underrepresented groups in STEM (i.e., Black, Latinx, persons with disabilities and women) that are in need of additional resources and support. The National Science Foundation reported that representation of certain groups in STEM education and employment is inconsistent with their representation in the United States population (2). Therefore, regardless of these research difficulties, it is important to utilize the proposed solution to support underrepresented students.
As previously mentioned, there is a great need for adjustments to the American education system. There also seems to be little consideration towards STEM programming for middle school and junior high school within school districts like Chicago Public Schools (CPS) or Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Instead, more focus is being placed on dual enrollment and dual credit options for high school students.
Dual enrollment is a program that allows students to take college courses and earn college credits while in high school (P An, 408). It is considered an economical choice for high school students in low or middle income households. This is due to the fact that students would theoretically spend less money taking courses in college. Several other benefits have been widely discussed and researched.
A primary example being research conducted by Corin et al. which concluded that American high school students enrolled in dual enrollment courses were 1.3 times more likely to be interested in a STEM career (1). However, there is still a decline in the number of students interested in STEM by the end of twelfth grade. It was determined that only 17% of twelfth grade students were both proficient in math and had an interest in STEM (National Governors Association, 12). This data implies that there is a missed opportunity to engage students in STEM at an early age and provide them the skills needed to succeed.
Proposed Solution
The best solution to rectifying the decline in student interest is to implement a STEM focused career awareness program in middle schools. This program will be a hands-on, engaging learning experience that is applicable to the real world. A great example of this type of learning environment within CPS, is Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS). Located on the south side of Chicago, this magnet high school is the only of its kind in the city. Since its inception in 1984, CHSAS has uniquely provided students with access to a curriculum involving agribusiness, animal sciences, plant sciences and more (CHSAS, 1). The curriculum emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning experiences starting with incoming students participating in a required Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) and the Chicago Ag Sciences FFA Chapter (CHSAS, 1).
Based on a study conducted by University of Chicago researchers, it was concluded that physical experiences significantly improved quiz scores of physics student participants (Kontra et al., 740). In this particular experiment, the students participated in randomized fieldwork exercises to test their understanding of basic physics concepts(i.e., torque or angular momentum). CHSAS’ curriculum serves as a perfect model for this type of learning. It also has the unique ability to foster positive associations with science. It has been well documented that when students do well in STEM coursework they are more likely to have a positive association with STEM careers. As such, creating hands-on experiences that allow students to succeed in science courses could greatly improve any potential negative associations with them.
CHSAS’ curriculum is exactly what a STEM career awareness program should be. For example, if a fourth or fifth grade class is learning about agriculture, the students could attend workshops at schools like CHSAS to learn about aquaponics. On the other hand, middle schools could arrange for hands-on projects and learning opportunities that integrate STEM curriculum to be taught by their classroom teachers or guest speakers. The use of a career awareness program is to provide all students with an engaging and equitable STEM based education. Success from program implementation should be tracked by with pre- and post-surveys given to the students on their general attitude toward STEM and by tracking quiz scores in the specific course this program was utilized for. Regardless of future careers, the skills gained from such a program can be used in any field (Cohen, 1). In all, incorporation of a STEM career awareness program would have the potential to increase student interest in STEM careers. However, the proposed solution is not intended to simply push middle school students into STEM but rather teach them how to think creatively, communicate effectively and gain science literacy. These are the basis for 21st century skills which are essential for any career a student chooses.
Bibliography
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Christensen, R., Knezek, G. & Tyler-Wood, T. Alignment of Hands-on STEM Engagement Activities with Positive STEM Dispositions in Secondary School Students. J Sci Educ Technol 24, 898–909 (2015). Accessed 17 February 2021.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-015-9572-6
Wiebe, Eric; Unfried, Alana; and Faber, Malinda, “The Relationship of STEM Attitudes and Career Interest” (2018). Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations. 3. Accessed 19 February 2021. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/math_fac/3
National Governors Association. (2010). Common core state standards. Washington, DC. Accessed 20 February 2021. https://preview.fadss.org/resources/webinars/webinar2/FSBAPresentationforCommunities_transcribed.pdf
Corin, E. et.al. The Role of Dual Enrollment STEM Coursework in Increasing STEM Career Interest Among High School Students. Teachers College Record. Volume 122 Number 2020, p. 1-26 Accessed 19 February 2021. https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=23184
Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences(CHSAS). School History and Overview. (2021). Accessed 17 February 2021. https://www.chicagoagr.org/about/history.jsp
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