Inside the STEM Pipeline: Changes in Students' Biomedical Career Plans across the College Years
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| Title: | Inside the STEM Pipeline: Changes in Students' Biomedical Career Plans across the College Years |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Rosenzweig, Emily Q. (ORCID |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. Apr 2021 7(18):1-9. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 11 |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS) Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R01GM10270305 R305B090009 R305B150003 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | STEM Education, College Students, Biomedicine, Career Choice, Career Planning, Gender Differences, Persistence, Majors (Students), College Graduates, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Change, Undergraduate Study, Graduate Study, Goal Orientation |
| DOI: | 10.1126/sciadv.abe0985 |
| ISSN: | 2375-2548 |
| Abstract: | Researchers often invoke the metaphor of a pipeline when studying participation in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), focusing on the important issue of students who "leak" from the pipeline, but largely ignoring students who persist in STEM. Using interview, survey, and institutional data over 6 years, we examined the experiences of 921 students who persisted in biomedical fields through college graduation and planned to pursue biomedical careers. Despite remaining in the biomedical pipeline, almost half of these students changed their career plans, which was almost twice the number of students who abandoned biomedical career paths altogether. Women changed plans more often and were more likely than men to change to a career requiring fewer years of post-graduate education. Results highlight the importance of studying within-pipeline patterns rather than focusing only on why students leave STEM fields. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | ED616432 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Researchers often invoke the metaphor of a pipeline when studying participation in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), focusing on the important issue of students who "leak" from the pipeline, but largely ignoring students who persist in STEM. Using interview, survey, and institutional data over 6 years, we examined the experiences of 921 students who persisted in biomedical fields through college graduation and planned to pursue biomedical careers. Despite remaining in the biomedical pipeline, almost half of these students changed their career plans, which was almost twice the number of students who abandoned biomedical career paths altogether. Women changed plans more often and were more likely than men to change to a career requiring fewer years of post-graduate education. Results highlight the importance of studying within-pipeline patterns rather than focusing only on why students leave STEM fields. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2375-2548 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/sciadv.abe0985 |
