THE NSF STEM SCHOOL STUDY: FINDINGS AND LOCALIZED STRATEGIESChristopher KolarDirector of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Why Study Selective Science High Schools?

Advanced students are not being sufficiently challenged in many of today’s high schools and SMT schools offer one way to meet their educational needs.

Recognition that some students complete middle school with strong interests, skills, and knowledge in science and mathematics, and aspire to high level careers in STEM.

Curricular and environmental components of SMT schools that appear to predict completion of STEM degrees might be adapted more widely.

What Do We Know from the Literature on STEM Talent Development

Challenging curriculum

Expert instruction

Peer stimulation

Apprenticeship/role models

Appreciation of the utility and value of STEM disciplines

Persistence in the “science pipeline”

To what degree do these factors exist in SMT high schools?

Study Research Goals

Overarching Research Question: What is the impact of participation in a selective science high school (SMT) or Talent Search program on completion of a STEM major in university.

Sub-research question 1: What characteristics of (a) the SMT school/TS or (b) the participants contribute to this outcome?

Sub-research question 2: Do these characteristics differentially affect male and female graduates? Those whose parents are not college graduates? Those whose parents are not in STEM related careers?

School Model Descriptions

Residential: Draws from an entire state. All students reside on campus. (n=8)

Half-Time: Students attend a regional center for SMT courses daily. (n=7)

Full-Time Commuter: Whole school is SMT and draws from local metropolitan population. (n=4)

School-within-School: An academy within a regular high school. (n=6)

No meaningful differences were found among school models in predicting outcomes.

Participants2004-2007 graduates of 25 selective SMT schools N=3,510

Comparison group of same age peers who attended Talent Search and enrolled in mathematics or science classes in the summer: N= 603

BA+ HS-

SMT 2,703 SMT 546

TS 534 TS 13

Males Females

SMT 1,579 SMT 1,797

TS 257 TS 319

Completion of a STEM Degree

49.8% percent of specialized SMT high school graduates completed a STEM undergraduate degree. School w School: 58.3% Residential: 51.7% Half-Day: 48.4% Full-Time Commuter: 42.3%

53.4% percent of comparison group completed a STEM undergraduate degree.

According to the National Science Foundation, 22.6% of students entering college graduate with a STEM undergraduate degree.

Percentage of Female Participants Completing STEM degrees (by discipline)

SMT TS

Male 57.8% Male 61.9%

Female 46.1% Female 50.5%

SMT TS NSF

Bio & BioMed 33.1% 26.3% 5.4%

Physical Science 9.3% 10.0% 0.9%

Engineering 11.0% 12.2% 1.4%

Mathematics 6.0% 6.9% 0.7%

What is associated with this intensification or growth in interest?

Emphasis on Deep Conceptual UnderstandingConnections to Other Content AreasLaboratory ExperiencesHands On ExperiencesField TripsGuest LecturesDemonstrationsInternships

Allowed to Pursue Own InterestsCollaborationPace (Too Fast, Too Slow)Level of Teacher EnthusiasmExpertise of Teacher in STEMAwareness of CareersReinforce Self-ConfidenceReinforce Interest

How influential is research?

The organization of research matters

Selection of research topic

IMSA’s local findings

STEM Degrees: 59.6%

Females: 53%

Residential STEM: 51.7%

Females: 46%

National: 22.6% TD: 53%

IMSA Study STEM Participants

90.5% of IMSA graduates reported having a parent that had attained a college degree

67.9% of IMSA graduates reported a parent who worked in a field that required STEM expertise

Intensification of interest while at IMSA29% of graduates reported an intensification of interest in STEM while at IMSA.

These students were 2.5x more likely to attain a STEM degree.

Faculty reinforcement of interest increased the odds of reporting intensification by 347%.

Faculty reinforcement of self-confidence suppressed odds of intensification.

Having selected intended major by sophomore year suppressed odds of intensification.

Loss of interest

If primary motivation was “desire to be with academically focused peer group”: 7.8 times more likely

If pace too fast: 2x

Faculty engagement in student interest: .01 as likely

Experienced environment as competitive: .003 as likely

Amplification Suppression

Undergraduate research

IMSA grads who participated in independent research were 2.23 times more likely to engage in undergraduate research.

50% of graduates reported participation in undergraduate research.

Undergraduate research boosts STEM attainment odds by 3.9x

Mediation effect?

This material is based upon work supported by the

National Science Foundation under

Grant #0815421

Some presentation materials provided by:

Rena Subotnik American Psychological Association

John Almarode James Madison University