The effects of introducing High school students to STEM careers

Abstract

In this investigation, five regular high school Earth science classes were introduced to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. The main goal of this study was to determine if learning about STEM careers would increase the number of students considering a career in a STEM field, and if that would change their engagement in the classroom and their choice of classes while still in high school. The treatment included four days of classroom instruction, web explorations, and discussions with STEM professionals. The results show that students were more interested in pursuing STEM careers, class participation improved, and students changed their courses for next year to include more STEM classes.