ERIC Number: ED544470
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Nov
Pages: 103
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
STEM Attrition: College Students' Paths into and out of STEM Fields. Statistical Analysis Report. NCES 2014-001
Chen, Xianglei
National Center for Education Statistics
Producing sufficient numbers of graduates who are prepared for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations has become a national priority in the United States. To attain this goal, some policymakers have targeted reducing STEM attrition in college, arguing that retaining more students in STEM fields in college is a low-cost, fast way to produce the STEM professionals that the nation needs (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology [PCAST] 2012). Within this context, this Statistical Analysis Report (SAR) presents an examination of students' attrition from STEM fields over the course of 6 years in college using data from the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) and the associated 2009 Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS:09). In this SAR, the term STEM attrition refers to enrollment choices that result in potential STEM graduates (i.e., undergraduates who declare a STEM major) moving away from STEM fields by switching majors to non-STEM fields or leaving postsecondary education before earning a degree or certificate. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of this attrition by: (1) determining rates of attrition from STEM and non-STEM fields; (2) identifying characteristics of students who leave STEM fields; (3) comparing the STEM coursetaking and performance of STEM leavers and persisters; and (4) examining the strength of various factors' associations with STEM attrition. Appended are: (1) Glossary; (2) Technical Notes and Methodology; (3) Classification of Major Field of Study in BPS:04/09; and (4) Classification of Postsecondary STEM Courses in BPS:04/09. (Contains 7 tables, 12 figures, and 29 footnotes.) [This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Statistics under Contract No. ED-07-CO-0104 with RTI International.]
Descriptors: STEM Education, Student Attrition, Undergraduate Students, Student Characteristics, Comparative Analysis, Majors (Students), Course Selection (Students), Academic Achievement, Academic Persistence, Longitudinal Studies, Bachelors Degrees, Associate Degrees, Grade Point Average, Dropouts
National Center for Education Statistics. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Center for Education Statistics (ED); RTI International
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Publication: http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014001rev