ERIC Number: EJ1115659
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1557-5284
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Efficacy of a Student Organization for STEM Students
Mwaikinda, Sekela R.; Aruguete, Mara S.
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, v17 n3 p22-26 Jul-Sep 2016
Our study tests the effectiveness of STEM Alliance, a student organization aimed at increasing academic and social support for students pursuing STEM majors. STEM Alliance offered weekly, extracurricular activities aimed at preparing students for graduate school and STEM careers. Students attending STEM Alliance events showed greater academic and social support, greater confidence in the institutional environment, and increased contact with faculty. First-generation students showed significant benefits of participation in STEM Alliance; however, continuing- generation students reported greater student-faculty contact. Although our quasi-experimental design cannot indisputably show a cause-and-effect relationship, our research strongly suggests that STEM Alliance represents a promising, inexpensive method of increasing support for students pursuing STEM degrees.
Descriptors: STEM Education, Student Organizations, Quasiexperimental Design, Majors (Students), Academic Support Services, First Generation College Students, Learner Engagement, Black Colleges, Statistical Analysis, Correlation
Institute for STEM Education and Research. P.O. Box 4001, Auburn, AL 36831. Tel: 334-844-3360; Web site: http://www.jstem.org
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
Author Affiliations: N/A