Study shows student interest in subjects proves most valuable for career

Pushing high school students into more advanced courses in STEM fields — subjects dealing with science, technology, engineering and mathematics – has been regarded as a way of encouraging more students to choose STEM careers.

But a new study by IU School of Education Assistant Professor Adam Maltese suggests that gaining advanced skills in the subject areas may not actually have the greatest impact on whether a student chooses a STEM-related
career.

“We want them to be skilled at math and science, but we also need to think about what we can do in terms of teaching it in ways to get them more interested,” Maltese said in a press release.
 
In the article, “Pipeline Persistence: Examining the Association of Educational Experiences with Earned Degrees in STEM Among U.S. Students,” Maltese and co-author Robert Tai, an associate professor of science education at the Curry School of Education in Virginia, analyzed 4,700 students participating in the “National Education Longitudinal Study” conducted by the U.S. Department of Education
in 1988.

They also examined survey responses taken in the eighth, 10th and 12th grades about subject interest and career plans.

They found indications that teachers who strictly lecture and emphasize facts and rules have a negative impact on students choosing STEM careers, while teachers who emphasize further study of STEM subjects lead to a positive association.

The academic level of the science and math courses attempted was not actually a significant factor in a student continuing in those fields.

“Achieving better is not necessarily going to lead to more students continuing in science and math,” he said.

The study continues a line of thinking the researchers established last year within a study they co-authored called “Eyeballs in the Fridge: Sources of early interest in science.”

This study indicated many scientists became interested in STEM careers at an early age.

“Currently in terms of the current educational policy, we see a focus on achievement and we see a focus on students producing results on standardized tests,” Tai said. “By that time, the standardized test scores in high school matter very little, but at the same time, the experiences they had in their science classes when they were children may matter a lot..”

—  Jake New