Disciplinary Differences in Out-of-School High School Science Experiences and Influence on Students’ Engineering Choices

Abstract

Participation from a variety of students is important to the long-term growth of the engineering field. Much of the research on engineering recruitment or career choice has focused on engineering as a whole, even though engineering disciplines are varied in student participation and focus. This work examines how students' out-of-school interests and experiences in high school predict the likelihood of choosing a career in a particular engineering discipline. Out-of-school experiences offer more unstructured ways for students to meaningfully engage with science and engineering outside of the confines of the classroom. These experiences offer opportunities to spark particular science interests not included in traditional high school science curriculum. Additionally, participation in engineering for women has been historically low. For this reason, we also examined reported differences in out-of-school experiences by gender. Our findings indicate that reported out-of-school experiences increased the odds of students choosing particular engineering disciplines. Experiences traditionally stereotyped as masculine and more often reported by men, such as tinkering, increased the odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of men. However, some experiences equally reported by men and women, such as mixing chemicals or engaging with chemistry in the kitchen or talking with friends or family about science, predicted higher odds of choosing engineering disciplines with higher representation of women (chemical, biomedical, environmental). These quantitative results are a first step in understanding how out-of-school experiences are connected to the nuanced decisions of disciplinary engineering career decisions and have implications for the way engineering faculty draw on prior experience in the classrooms and for researchers on how out-of-school activities may predict students' long-term career decisions.

Participation in structured STEM‐focused out‐of‐school time programs in secondary school: Linkage to postsecondary STEM aspiration and major

“…For example , Beymer, Rosenberg, Schmidt, and Naftzger (2018) suggest that there is a positive relationship between affect and engagement in OST activities focusing on STEM (e.g., summer programs) among adolescents. Similarly, other studies have shown that there is a significant, positive relationship of participation in math or science clubs to STEM GPA and interest among adolescents (Godwin et al, 2016;Gottfried & Williams, 2013;Guest & Schneider, 2003). Meanwhile, college students' STEM career interest is associated with their science-focused OST program participation back in middle and high school, demonstrating a lasting relationship between OST learning experience and later interest in STEM fields (Dabney et al, 2012;Young et al, 2016).…”

“…Beneficial opportunities of STEM learning come in a number of intentional ways in the academic curriculum, including in activities out of the classroom. Out-of-school time (OST) experiences may be an effective venue to enrich students' learning experiences and promote STEM interest (Dabney et al, 2012;Godwin, Sonnert, & Sadler, 2016;Price, Kares, Segovia, & Loyd, 2018). OST programs are adult-supervised, extracurricular activities taking place in a structured or unstructured manner, such as after-school programs and summer camps.…”

“…To date, important empirical studies have documented positive outcomes of various OST programs focusing on STEM, including a sustained interest in STEM fields and a sense of STEM identity (Young, Ortiz, & Young, 2016). However, some of them were limited to cross-sectional correlation between students' experience of STEM-focused OST programs and concurrent interest in STEM fields (Price et al, 2018), while others are confined to the effects of specific OST programs (Godwin et al, 2016;Yilmaz, Ren, Custer, & Coleman, 2010). As such, less is known how the participating in STEM-focused OST programs over time is related to students' aspiration to a STEM major.…”

“…This positive effect can be credited to the fit to students' needs of intellectual growth, interpersonal connection, and sense of autonomy throughout adolescence (Gutman & Eccles, 2007). Students who are engaged in various OST programs often learn content knowledge outside of the parameters of classroom and instructional time (Godwin et al, 2016). As a result, OST programs complement formal learning experience in the classroom and can uniquely facilitate the growth of academic competence and psychosocial wellness (Hirsch, Mekinda, & Stawicki, 2010).…”

Understanding how First-Generation College Students’ Out-of-School Experiences, Physics and STEM Identities Relate to Engineering Possible Selves and Certainty of Career Path

“…Structural Equation Model of First-Generation College Students' Out-of-School Experiences with physics and STEM interest, recognition, and identity. Prior research has found that out-of-school learning environments play an important role in promoting and building interest and over time supporting STEM identities [4], [47]- [49]. Additionally, another study found that students who persisted in engineering had meaningful experiences (i.e., summer camps, competitions, etc.)…”