The Undergraduate Experience of STEM Students from Various Social Backgrounds: From Pre-Entry Expectations to Persistence Motivation and Career Intentions
Author(s):
Anna Maxim (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2012
Network:
21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Format:
Paper

Session Information

ERG SES C 13, Media, creativity and career development

Parallel Paper Session

Time:
2012-09-17
13:30-15:00
Room:
FCEE - Aula 4.8
Chair:
Maria Hilbert

Contribution

This paper considers the results of a study which set out to consider the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds once they have enrolled on a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree at a UK university. There is much work on the initial barriers to Higher Education (HE) participation (for example, Archer et al, 2003 and Gorard et al, 2006), however, the playing field is not levelled once students from under-represented groups actually enter university (Yorke & Longden, 2004). The study set out to address the following questions:

 

What do students expect from university upon enrolment on a STEM degree?

Do students from ‘non-traditional’ university backgrounds have the same expectations; both of the course itself and of the outcomes they anticipate from it?

How far do unmet expectations affect students’ motivation; for example motivation to persist with the course or to pursue a career in the field?

 

The theoretical starting point of the research was an analysis of the various policies framing the ‘Widening Participation’ agenda, and those which consider inequalities in STEM fields in particular. Widening Participation is an important issue in HE throughout Europe, and STEM education is the focus of policy-making and research throughout the EU; being seen as vital for economic development. Within the scientific disciplines in particular, Widening Participation is an EU-wide issue, with large-scale research considering participation in STEM from school to university, and into the workplace. Projects like WISE (UKRC 2011), Women in Science (RSC, 2011), or the Athena Project (Imperial College London, 2011) focussed on female participation in STEM, and various EU projects concerned with ethnic minority participation, for example ETHNIC (European Association for the Education of Adults, 2012, European Commission, 2012, CORDIS, 2012) are concerned with equal access to STEM.

           

The research in this paper considers the practical applications of these policies for students once they have entered university. It considers whether students from under-represented groups experience university in the same way, and whether the work undertaken to overcome the barriers experienced by many is enough to adequately prepare them for the process of studying for a degree. The study examines the attitudes of students from various social backgrounds when they arrive at university. By gathering information on the expectations of students on first day of their course, the research considers how prepared students are, and indeed how prepared students feel (Rowley et al, 2008). It also records their experiences as their course progresses and how these may (or may not) meet their expectations. By following the students through their course, the study considers how unmet expectations, or a lack of adequate preparation, may affect students’ views on the outcomes they anticipate; for example wanting to pursue a career in their field of study.

Method

To investigate the student experience in depth, this case study gathered information from various sources from students on two STEM courses at one UK University. It was a mixed methods, pragmatic approach to research. Questionnaires asked all the students for their expectations of university life, before any teaching or induction happened. The questionnaire was repeated in term two to gather information about their experiences. As I.D numbers were used, follow-up questionnaires could be paired with the expectations survey to investigate individual changes over time. Around 300 students were surveyed, and this data was analysed primarily quantitatively. The students’ perspectives were also important, so interviews and focus groups were conducted throughout the research to give a qualitative, interpretive element. Initially, these focussed on expectations; where information about university came from, how decisions were made and so on. As the study progressed, these were also used to develop the questionnaire analysis; for example asking students to give their own interpretations of various terms. Students were also observed in various university settings. At every stage, students were asked to provide details about their social background, to enable an analysis of whether expectations or perceptions of experiences vary across different groups of students.

Expected Outcomes

The questionnaire analysis showed differences in the preparedness of students, and gave insights into the influence of various sources on these expectations. It highlighted differences in the attitudes of students from under-represented groups: first generation HE participants; state-educated students; and certain ethnic minorities. There were also differences between the attitudes of UK-domiciled students and those from other EU countries. The paper details these differences, and considers the impact on various career-based motivations as the course progressed. The qualitative data is used to consider any reasons for differing expectations about what university is, and what it is for, between students from different groups. It is also used to understand the student experience in the students’ own terms, and to interpret the questionnaire results using the students’ own perspectives. It is hoped that this research will contribute to work on Widening Participation, and to that which considers HE STEM participation. As this research considers the impact of experiences on career motivations, it gives insight into the progression of career intentions throughout an undergraduate degree, thereby contributing to research which considers the effectiveness of university at preparing students for the workplace, and equipping them with the skills needed to succeed as STEM professionals.

References

Archer, L., Hutchings, M., Ross, A., (2003), Higher Education and Social Class: Issues of Exclusion and Inclusion, London: Routledge CORDIS, (2012), Projects, Raising Public Awareness of Science and Technology among Ethnic Minorities, [online], Accessed January 2012 from: http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.document&PJ_RCN=6159853 European Association for the Education of Adults (2012), Ethnic Minorities in Science and Higher Education, [online], Accessed January 2012 from: http://www.eaea.org/events.php?aid=4024 European Commission (2012), ETHNIC, Research and Innovation, [online], Accessed January 2012 from: http://ec.europa.eu/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=02_intro Gorard, S., Smith, E., May, H., Thomas, L., Adnett, N., & Slack, K., (2006) Review of Widening Participation Research: Addressing the Barriers to Participation in Higher Education, A report to HEFCE by the University of York, Higher Education Academy and Institute for Access Studies, [online], Accessed January 2012 from: http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star/resources/gorardbarriers.pdf Imperial College London (2011), Athena Project [online], accessed December 2011 from: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/hr/equality/academicwomen/athena Rowley, M., Hartley, J., and Larkin, D., (2008), Learning from Experience: the Expectations and Experiences of First-year Undergraduate Psychology Students, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 32(4), pp.399-413 RSC (2011), Women in Science, The Royal Society of Chemistry [online], accessed December 2011 from: http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Policy/Documents/WomeninScience.asp UKRC (2011), WISE, The UK Resource Centre [online], accessed December 2011 from: http://www.theukrc.org/get-involved/wise Yorke, M., & Longden, B., (2004), Retention and Student Success in Higher Education, Maidenhead: Open University Press

Author Information

Anna Maxim (presenting / submitting)
University of Birmingham
School of Education
Brighton

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