Parents can influence children's choice and success in STEM major

Date:
December 7, 2021
Source:
Portland State University
Summary:
If one of your parents majored in a STEM (science, technology,
engineering or math) field, there's a better chance you'll also
major and persist in a STEM field, according to a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
If one of your parents majored in a STEM (science, technology, engineering
or math) field, there's a better chance you'll also major and persist
in a STEM field, according to a new Portland State University study.


========================================================================== Sociology researchers -- second-year doctoral student Ned Tilbrook and associate professor Dara Shifrer -- found that students whose parents
have a bachelor's degree in STEM are not only more likely to choose and
persist in a STEM major than students whose parents have no bachelor's
degree, but they are also significantly more likely to choose and persist
in a STEM major than students whose parents graduated with a degree in
some other field.

Tilbrook and Shrifer call this STEM-specific cultural capital. They
suggest that parents pass it on to their children through a variety of
ways: engaging in activities or conversations on scientific topics;
fostering a home environment that values STEM and thereby ingraining
the values, attitudes and academic work habits needed to succeed in
STEM fields; and encouraging their kids to participate in math- and science-focused extracurricular activities.

What happens at home then has an impact on their experience at school
with teachers rewarding them with more challenging work, leading to good grades, higher test scores and ultimately degrees.

Tilbrook added that parents with STEM degrees may be better suited
to communicate the value of STEM majors and prepare their children
for common barriers along the way such as the so-called "weeding-out" introductory science courses in college.

"Talking to faculty in STEM fields, they have this idea that it all
happens meritocratically where people who have the most natural ability
end up in a STEM major and do well in it," Shifrer said. "But social
inequality does play a factor in who majors in STEM and who does well
in STEM." Shifrer said that schools -- both K-12 and higher education --
need to fill in the gaps and provide the kind of knowledge and confidence needed to succeed in STEM.

"STEM majors shouldn't only be accessible to kids whose parents also
majored in it," she said.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Portland_State_University. Original
written by Cristina Rojas. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ned Tilbrook, Dara Shifrer. Field-specific cultural capital and
persistence in college majors. Social Science Research, 2021;
102654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102654 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211207093818.htm

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