ERIC Number: EJ1271732
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-1546
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Importance of Community Colleges in Students' Choice to Major in STEM
Bottia, Martha Cecilia; Stearns, Elizabeth; Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin; Moller, Stephanie; Jamil, Cayce
Journal of Higher Education, v91 n7 p1116-1148 2020
This article investigates whether attending a community college is related to an increase in the number of students majoring and graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at four-year colleges. We follow a longitudinal sample of students in North Carolina from middle school through college graduation, including some who attended a community college. Our multilevel models indicate that for our sample of students, who attended a four-year institution and declared a major within 6 years of high school graduation, ever attending a community college and/or starting post-secondary education at a community college have a significant positive relationship with their likelihood of declaring and graduating with a STEM major. Results hold true even after controlling for sample self-selection through propensity score matching techniques. Our findings also show that the benefits of community college attendance on students' likelihood of declaring and graduating with a STEM major are not restricted to only low-SES students. Overall, this study supports the notion that two-year colleges could work as means of helping push students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds into STEM.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, College Attendance, Majors (Students), STEM Education, Longitudinal Studies, High School Graduates, State Universities, Undergraduate Students, College Transfer Students, First Generation College Students, Economically Disadvantaged, Socioeconomic Status, Correlation, Graduation Rate, Educational Attainment
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1420363
Author Affiliations: N/A