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ERIC Number: EJ1114850
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1940-7882
EISSN: N/A
To Stay or Leave: Factors That Impact Undergraduate Women's Persistence in Science Majors
Gayles, Joy Gaston; Ampaw, Frim
NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education, v9 n2 p133-151 2016
This study examined factors that influenced undergraduates' decision to enter, leave, or stay within science majors. In addition, we sought to understand if such decisions differed by gender and type of science major. Using Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) longitudinal survey data, we found that women were less likely to select a science major in the first year of college and were less likely to select and persist in science majors after the third year of college compared to males. Women who left science majors after the third year of college selected non-science majors, despite the number of science courses taken within the first two years. One of the most interesting findings was that many students who entered science majors by Year 3 were previously undecided upon entering college. The article concludes with implications for attracting and retaining women in science majors.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A