Objective. This article asks: Does experience with education undermine confidence in the institution? If so, has this changed over time? Method. This study uses mixed effects binary logistic regression on the General Social Survey (1973-2018). Results. Confidence in the institution of education has declined over time. Those with a college degree are less confident in education and their confidence is diminishing over time. By 2018, those with a college degree indicated the lowest levels of confidence in education since 1973. These changes are distinct from general trends in institutional confidence. In fact, higher education is typically associated with more confidence in social institutions. Conclusion. These trends likely reflect the shifting rhetoric around the purpose and function of college education as well as the changing economic landscape of higher education. By focusing on long-term changes to a key symbolic impact of higher education (i.e., public confidence in education), findings add to the existing literature on the material benefits and consequences of attaining a college degree.
The share of college students who are first-generation has grown rapidly in recent decades. Less attention has been paid to the educational experiences of graduate students. This article asks: How do first-generation students in graduate school differ from one another in their experiences with the socialization process? Based on data from in-depth interviews with 41 graduate students at a large research university, this article examines student narratives of experiences and circumstances to characterize multiple social spaces in graduate school. Contrary to notions suggesting that first-generation students share a similar group experience, these data reveal that first-generation students have divergent experiences and circumstances that characterize four distinct regions. Drawing on social capital and socialization theories, I find that students occupy social spaces that (1) modify, (2) adapt or (3) defy the socialization processes of graduate school. Findings also show barriers for those that are (4) excluded.
Purpose The term STEM often remains an undifferentiated category, especially at the graduate level. Conceptualizing STEM as a monolithic category, rather than as a combination of distinct fields, prevents researchers from understanding and documenting the full range of persistent inequality within scientific disciplines at the graduate level and throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this paper is to address two oversights prior to degree completion within the context of the USA by asking two specific questions: To what extent is gender associated with choice of discipline within STEM graduate education? In the USA, do gender differences in STEM fields depend on citizenship status? Design/methodology/approach Using data from the 2015 International STEM Graduate Student in the US Survey, this study employs multinomial logistic regression analyses and presents predicted probabilities to assess differences of enrollment in STEM fields by gender and citizenship status. Findings Results show that domestic women were less likely to enroll in computer sciences and engineering when compared to domestic men. However, in contrast to domestic students, there were no gender differences among international students’ enrollment in engineering. Research limitations/implications This paper shows the importance and complexity of how gender intersects with citizenship status in enrollment patterns in STEM graduate fields. The survey included the top 10 universities in the USA based on the total enrollment of international students, and it is unclear if there exists differences in these selected students and schools when compared to students at colleges and universities that enroll less international graduate students. Originality/value The author makes the case to disaggregate STEM to better assess how specific fields can be modified to attract graduate students worldwide. This paper accentuates the significance of gender and citizenship status for understanding differences in choice of discipline among graduate students in STEM.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.