Impacting STEM Ambitions

Project-Based Learning and Creating a Pipeline of STEM Enthusiasm in Higher Education and Future Careers

Rachel Marias Dezendorf, Sarah Maestrales, and Peng He

Our Data:

Nearly 12,000 students across California and the Midwest were involved in the CESE study for the 2018-2019 school year. On the background and exit surveys, students responded to questions regarding their feelings about science, their planned "job at 30," and what they would study after high school.

Our Analysis:

Students responses were examined to create a list of science careers students found desirable. Classifying the variables was done in stata using stemmed strings in both English and Spanish. Stemming helps to reduces the need account for capitalization or spelling errors. For example:

chemist = "hemist" or "químic" or "quimic"

gen chemistPostStudy= strpos(PlanStudyAfterHS_Post, "hemist")>0 |

strpos(PlanStudyAfterHS_Post, "químic")>0 | strpos(PlanStudyAfterHS_Post, "quimic")>0;

Student jobs and fields of study were classified as math intensive or non math intensive by the Michigan State University degree requirements. Degree programs and fields requiring more than 2 semesters of calculus were classified as Math Intensive. These include engineering, mathematics, statistics, computer sciences, etc. Other classifications were based off those used by O*net Online.

Students' anticipated future educational attainment was collected on a 7 point scale ranging from "I don't know" to obtaining a Ph.D. or other high level degree. These data points were collapsed somewhat into greater than 2 years, greater than 4 years, and graduate degree.

These are means from the raw data from students with both a pretest and a post test. We are presenting comparisons between raw means, without controlling for any issues or measures of implementation or completion of our units. We are also not controlling for teachers who were unable to do certain experiments due to lack of available supplies in the classrooms.

Frequency of use for various aspects of project based learning reported by teachers

Frequency of PBL, as reported by students, based on their desire to study science or medicine after high school. Categories represented include students who do not plan to study science on the exit survey, students who do want to study science or medicine on the exit survey, students who did not want to study science or medicine on the background survey and did on the exit survey, and levels reported by all students for comparison. Students who wanted to study science or medicine and students who did not initially want to study science but did on the exit survey consistently reported greater frequency of project based learning practices employed in their classrooms.

Frequency of PBL, as reported by students, based on their desire to attend a 4 year college after high school. Categories represented include students who do not plan to attend at least a 4 year institution on the post test, students who do plan to attend at least a 4 year institution on the exit survey, students who did not plan to attend at least a 4 year institution on the pretest and did on the exit survey, and levels reported by all students for comparison. Students who did not initially intend to attend a 4 year college but did on the exit survey consistently reported greater frequency of project based learning practices employed in their classrooms.

Frequency of PBL, as reported by students, based on their desire to pursue a future career in science or medicine after high school. Categories represented include students who do not plan to pursue a future career science on the exit survey, students who do want to pursue a future career science or medicine on the exit survey, students who did not want to pursue a future career science or medicine on the background survey and did on the exit survey, and levels reported by all students for comparison. Students who did not initially intend to pursue a career in the sciences, but did on the exit survey consistently reported greater frequency of project based learning practices employed in their classrooms.