This study examined the influence of high school teachers’ perceived treatment of students on their eventual choice of college major in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with choosing postsecondary STEM majors among students who considered STEM majors while in high school. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of students from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS: 2009) data set in the United States. Results indicated that high school students who considered majoring in a STEM field once they were in college were less likely to actually do so when they perceived their high school math and science teachers to exhibit disrespectful, differential, or discriminatory behavior toward different students. Findings suggest that such experiences with STEM teachers at the secondary level may contribute to the deterrence of choosing a STEM major at the postsecondary level. Given that STEM-related occupations are projected to grow at over double the rate of non-STEM occupations over the next several years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024) and that a large percentage of STEM occupations require a bachelor’s degree (Fayer et al., 2017), it is imperative that education systems work to produce students who persist in STEM majors. Results of this study may help to offer a better understanding of the pre-college discriminatory experiences that may influence students’ decisions to earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields during college.

Authors:
Amanda Taggart, Utah State University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Amanda Taggart is an Associate Professor of School Leadership at Utah State University. Her research interests include issues related to equity, access, and achievement for underrepresented students across the P-20 educational pipeline.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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