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LAWRENCE – If you ask someone if they’re a math or science person, they might quickly say yes or no. It turns out that how people answer this question in sixth grade and even earlier can not only tell you which subjects they prefer in school, but how likely they are to continue studying STEM subjects in college and working in those fields as adults. Findings from a new University of Kansas study suggest the importance of fostering positive attitudes towards math and science early in student life to address gender and socioeconomic gaps in STEM.

The KU researchers analyzed a nationwide dataset that asked students if they considered themselves a ninth grade math and / or science person in 2009. The survey then continued with those 11th grade students to place the same he asks, then three years after graduation to see who had enrolled in a major in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and if he intended to pursue a related career when he turned 30. The findings not only support the importance of students ‘attitudes to academic achievement, but also suggest that efforts should focus more on cultivating positive attitudes early in students’ careers, before they get to college, where most of those efforts currently takes place.

Rafael Quintana, assistant professor of educational psychology, and Argun Saatcioglu, professor of education policy and sociology, both at KU, conducted a study in which they analyzed data from the 2009 High School Longitudinal Study. responses from over 21,000 students from approximately 940 schools in the United States. The study was published in the journal Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.

The results showed that the odds of enrolling in a STEM specialization were 1.78 times greater for students with a scientific identity in the ninth grade and 1.66 times greater for those with a mathematical identity than for those who did not identify. with the subjects. The odds of expecting a career in STEM were 1.69 times greater and 1.6 times greater for those with scientific and mathematical identities, respectively.

These numbers are illustrative of how early positive experiences with math and science can be influential in both higher education and later life, the researchers said.

“What do we mean when we say that education has long-term effects? It’s something we want to think about longitudinally, “Quintana said.” Those early experiences come ‘under the skin’, as they are related to later outcomes regardless of how these attitudes have developed later on. What it suggests is one, the importance of identity beliefs for career-related decisions and two, that early experiences can have long-lasting and potentially irreversible effects. “

The data also showed that when controlling for all other variables, the odds of expecting a career in a STEM field were about 50% lower for women than for men, and that there was a significant interaction between scientific identity at school and gender when STEM employment was expected. In other words, it was more consequential for men to identify with science in sixth grade, as they were more likely to pursue a career in science. Research has long noted a gender gap and socioeconomic inequalities in STEM, but most efforts have focused on addressing them among undergraduates. While these efforts are fair, Quintana said, the study’s findings suggest it is important to take steps to address mathematical and scientific inequalities early in life as well.

Schools can play a long-term role in helping students believe they can have a career in STEM and visualize that possibility. By providing equal access to math and science programs, they can also provide opportunities for those who might not otherwise get them, the researchers said.

“We want schools to matter and have a consequential effect,” said Saatcioglu. “If you can get children to believe you are a math or science person through positive experiences, it can have long-term effects. If you can make students feel that way, it can be helpful. The key to this study was that Rafael was able to isolate the long-term effects of sixth grade attitudes.

The attitudes that students have at the beginning of high school are fundamental, as they have a cascading effect.

“For example, individuals’ self-perception can influence the courses they take, the effort and time they devote to specific topics, and the interests and aspirations they develop,” the authors wrote. “These attitudes and behaviors can shape the career trajectories of individuals regardless of their future beliefs about identity. This branching of causal effects is what generates the cascading and potentially irreversible consequences of early life experiences ”.

Quintana, who uses longitudinal data analysis to study education and human development issues, said he also hopes to review the data in the future to see where those in the dataset are now and how many are still working in the fields. STEM. This analysis could also be applied to understand other early educational experiences such as bullying and how they affect subsequent choices, attitudes and career paths.

The University of Kansas is a leading research and teaching university. The mission of the university

it is uplifting students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities, and making discoveries

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