The Importance of Community Colleges in Students' Choice to Major in STEM

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  • Author(s): Bottia, Martha Cecilia (ORCID Bottia, Martha Cecilia (ORCID 0000-0001-5150-520X); Stearns, Elizabeth (ORCID Stearns, Elizabeth (ORCID 0000-0002-9678-2160); Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin (ORCID Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin (ORCID 0000-0003-2578-0659); Moller, Stephanie (ORCID Moller, Stephanie (ORCID 0000-0002-8239-719X); Jamil, Cayce
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    Journal of Higher Education. 2020 91(7):1116-1148.
  • Publication Date:
    2020
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      33
    • Sponsoring Agency:
      National Science Foundation (NSF)
    • Contract Number:
      1420363
    • Education Level:
      Higher Education
      Postsecondary Education
      Two Year Colleges
      High Schools
      Secondary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Community Colleges; College Attendance; Majors (Students); STEM Education; Longitudinal Studies; High School Graduates; State Universities; Undergraduate Students; College Transfer Students; First Generation College Students; Economically Disadvantaged; Socioeconomic Status; Correlation; Graduation Rate; Educational Attainment
    • Subject Terms:
      North Carolina
    • Accession Number:
      10.1080/00221546.2020.1742032
    • ISSN:
      0022-1546
    • Abstract:
      This article investigates whether attending a community college is related to an increase in the number of students majoring and graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at four-year colleges. We follow a longitudinal sample of students in North Carolina from middle school through college graduation, including some who attended a community college. Our multilevel models indicate that for our sample of students, who attended a four-year institution and declared a major within 6 years of high school graduation, ever attending a community college and/or starting post-secondary education at a community college have a significant positive relationship with their likelihood of declaring and graduating with a STEM major. Results hold true even after controlling for sample self-selection through propensity score matching techniques. Our findings also show that the benefits of community college attendance on students' likelihood of declaring and graduating with a STEM major are not restricted to only low-SES students. Overall, this study supports the notion that two-year colleges could work as means of helping push students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds into STEM.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2020
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1271732