scholarly journals Persistence in STEM Majors: Investigating Whether and When High- Performing Students Leave STEM during Undergraduate Studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 17-33
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Kohler

The focus of this study was to investigate the effects of both pre- and post-matriculation academic achievement on the likelihood and timing of high-achieving student departures from STEM majors at elite universities. While there has been robust research on persistence in STEM as a whole, survival analysis to investigate the timing of events is still a novel tool to investigate departure from STEM majors. Using longitudinal data collected at Harvard, secondary analysis was conducted to examine the research questions using discrete-time survival analysis. The researcher found that demographic characteristics of the students in the sample were not significant in predicting time-to STEM major attrition. However, verbal achievement was found to be the most significant predictor of STEM major attrition, with higher levels of verbal achievement leading to higher levels of attrition from STEM majors to non-STEM majors.

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Eboatu, V. N. ◽  
Igboka, Doris Oluchukwu

Academic achievement of students does not depend only on school, environmental factors and teacher characteristics, but also on the level of home involvement. This study therefore sought to establish the extent of parental school involvement for students’ improved academic achievement in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The descriptive survey design was used for this study, with six (6) research questions guiding the study. The population for the study comprised 417 public secondary school teachers from which a sample of 125 teachers using simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a researcher designed, structured questionnaire which was duly validated by experts in educational management and measurement and evaluation. The questionnaire was tested for reliability using test-retest method. The tool for correlation was the Pearson Product Moment Correlation and this yielded a co-efficient of 0.82. Data collected was analysed using mean and standard deviation statistics to answer the 6 research questions while ANOVA with Friedman’s Test was used to test for significant difference in the six indices of parental involvement. The findings show among others that teachers perceive that parents in Awka South Local Government Area effectively communicate with school and coach their children for improved academic achievement to a moderate extent. There was no significant difference in the teacher’s perception of parental involvement based on the six indices of involvement. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended among others, that parents and the school use social media and other devices to communicate more effectively with the school for improved students’ academic performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanna L. Burke ◽  
Tianyan Hu ◽  
Christine E. Spadola ◽  
Aaron Burgess ◽  
Tan Li ◽  
...  

Objective: This study explored two research questions: (a) Does sleep medication neutralize or provide a protective effect against the hazard of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)? (b) Do apolipoprotein (APOE) e4 carriers reporting a sleep disturbance experience an increased risk of AD? Method: This study is a secondary analysis of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set ( n = 6,782) using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Sleep disturbance was significantly associated with eventual AD development. Among the subset of participants taking general sleep medications, no relationship between sleep disturbance and eventual AD was observed. Among individuals not taking sleep medications, the increased hazard between the two variables remained. Among APOE e4 carriers, sleep disturbance and AD were significant, except among those taking zolpidem. Discussion: Our findings support the emerging link between sleep disturbance and AD. Our findings also suggest a continued need to elucidate the mechanisms that offer protective factors against AD development.


2021 ◽  
pp. 103-122
Author(s):  
Sarah Kabay

Between 1990 and 2007, sixteen different countries in sub-Saharan Africa used national education policy to formally abolish school fees. Implementing its Universal Primary Education Policy in 1997, Uganda was the third country in sub-Saharan Africa to do so. School fee abolition is typically understood along a single dimension: access. Any cost associated with attending school is seen as discouraging access; conversely, efforts to reduce costs are seen as improving access. Little to no research has investigated the connection to quality. In this chapter, analyzing a school savings program presents the opportunity to investigate how an intervention that encouraged the payment of school fees relates to both access and quality. Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial and research questions on mediation and moderation are used to explore this issue.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Kpozehouen ◽  
Y Glèlè Ahanhanzo ◽  
E Klikpo ◽  
C Azandjeme ◽  
C Metonnou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Caesarean delivery, usually performed on a medical indication, is intended for maternal or fetal rescue. Accessibility issues justify setting up a so-called model of “free caesarean” in several developing countries, including Benin, in order to reduce social inequalities and contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality. The study aimed to identify the determinants associated with caesarean delivery in women aged 15-49 in Benin. Methods This is a secondary analysis of data from Benin’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2017 - 2018. It was limited to mothers aged 15 to 49 who gave birth to at least one child in the 5 years preceding the survey. The socio-demographic characteristics of the mother and the variables related to pregnancy were the independent variables. Association between cesarean delivery and its determinants was assessed by odds ratios and their 95% confidence interval using a logistic regression. Results The percentage of mothers who gave birth by caesarean was 6.84%, 95% CI = [6.07; 7.59]. The average age was 29.37 years, 95% CI = [29.20; 29.55]. The probability of cesarean delivery was higher with women aged 45 years and older (OR = 3.33, 95% CI = [1.85, 6.01]), living in urban areas (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = [1.08 1.84]), from rich or very rich households (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = [1.29, 3.05], OR = 1.87, 95% CI = [1.19, 2.96] respectively) and educated (OR = 1.63 95% CI = [1.19, 2.24] and OR = 1.81, 95% CI = [0.97, 3.39] for the secondary and upper levels respectively). Conclusions This analysis shows that cesarean delivery remains associated with the socio-demographic characteristics of the mother, including the level of economic well-being. The current financing model of cesarean should be evaluated for effectiveness and further interventions need to be implemented to account for other factors of disparity. Key messages Benin health authorities should improve the geographical accessibility of Cesarean section, especially in rural areas. The strategies proposed to improve the financial accessibility of cesarean section do not seem effective, so the Beninese authorities should think about revising them.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martyn Hammersley

The potential gains and practical problems associated with secondary analysis of qualitative data have received increasing attention in recent years. The discussions display conflicting attitudes, some commentators emphasising the difficulties while others emphasise the benefits. In a few recent contributions the distinctiveness of re-using data has come to be questioned, on the grounds that the problems identified with it - of data not fitting the research questions, and of relevant contextual knowledge being absent - are by no means limited to secondary analysis. There has also been a more fundamental claim: to the effect that these problems are much less severe once we recognise that, all data are constituted and re-constituted within the research process. In this article I examine these arguments, concluding that while they have much to commend them, they do not dissolve the problems of ‘fit’ and ‘context’.


2020 ◽  
pp. 153819272096827
Author(s):  
Blanca E. Rincón ◽  
Sarah Rodriguez

Addressing Latinx student underrepresentation in STEM requires an assets-based reimagining of STEM experiences and pathways that facilitate student success. Drawing on data from two qualitative studies of Latinx students pursuing STEM majors, findings reveal that Latinx students draw on at least six distinct forms of cultural assets to facilitate their, and at times their peers’, persistence in STEM. Latinx students then utilize these cultural assets to develop culturally grounded understandings of themselves as STEM individuals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 691-714
Author(s):  
Hansen Zhou ◽  
William E. Hanson ◽  
Ryan Jacobson ◽  
Angie Allan ◽  
Diana Armstrong ◽  
...  

This study explores Canadian clinicians’ perceptions of test feedback (TFB) and how those perceptions influence their practice. This secondary analysis of open-ended qualitative data extends a previous study with similar research questions conducted by Jacobson et al. (2015). A case study design and consensual qualitative research (CQR) data analysis procedure was utilized to enhance the trustworthiness of the results. The findings indicate that clinicians give TFB in a variety of settings. Clinicians emphasize the importance of providing tailored and collaborative TFB, of attending to ethical issues related to TFB, and of improving academic training in TFB. Also, clinicians discuss unique situations in which feedback is provided to a third party rather than to the testing individual. Clinical implications such as increased practical training for providing TFB are discussed. Future research could investigate the outcomes of TFB provision.


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