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Examining the STEM Educational Pipeline: The Influence of Pre-College Factors on the Educational Trajectory of African American Students

Tyler, Andrea L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1292295054

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Educational Leadership.
This research study examined the social and academic factors that predict involvement in post-secondary education (PSE) and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree attainment among African American students. The conceptual framework that informed this research study was Nora’s (2003) Student/Institution Engagement Model. The hypothesized conceptual model included the role of background characteristics (gender, first generation students, and socioeconomic status), school type (urban, public versus private), family factors (family composition, father’s and mother’s educational attainment), academic factors (AP courses, academic self concept) and social support (teacher relationships, parent involvement, peer relationships). The study utilized the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88-2000), which is a nationally representative data set. Three models were tested using logistic regression. The first model examined the dichotomous variable of attended post-secondary education after high school versus did not attend post-secondary education after high school (n = 884). The second model examined the dichotomous variable of majored in a STEM field versus did not major in a STEM field (n = 771). The last model examined the dichotomous variable degree attainment in a STEM field versus a non-STEM field (n=393). The findings identified academic rigor, specifically advance placement (AP) classes, pursuing an academic high school diploma, gender (female), being from a single parent home, family SES, and self expectancy as predictors of attending PSE, while gender (male) and first generation status (not being first generation) predicted STEM degree attainment. The study also found that the overall models for predicting PSE and predicting STEM degree attainment were significant, while the model predicting majoring in a STEM field was not significant. The findings are discussed in terms of measurement of the variables, handling of missing data, and the need for greater assessment of variables specific to math and science achievement during high school. Implications for future research emphasize the importance of designing programs and initiatives to help African American students succeed in high school and college in STEM fields.
Sally A. LLoyd, PhD (Committee Chair)
Denise Taliaferro-Baszile, PhD (Committee Member)
Jhan Doughty-Berry, PhD (Committee Member)
Aimin Wang, PhD (Committee Member)
130 p.
Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Secondary Education
African American Students; Educational Pipeline; STEM Degree Attainment; Secondary Education

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tyler, A. L. (2010). Examining the STEM Educational Pipeline: The Influence of Pre-College Factors on the Educational Trajectory of African American Students [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1292295054

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tyler, Andrea. Examining the STEM Educational Pipeline: The Influence of Pre-College Factors on the Educational Trajectory of African American Students. 2010. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1292295054.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tyler, Andrea. "Examining the STEM Educational Pipeline: The Influence of Pre-College Factors on the Educational Trajectory of African American Students." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1292295054

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1292295054
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© 2010, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Examining the STEM Educational Pipeline: The Influence of Pre-College Factors on the Educational Trajectory of African American Students by Andrea L. Tyler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.