STEM the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines are traditionally low staffed by female employees. The issue may begins at the college level where a study published in PLOS ONE indicates that low confidence levels may be the decisive factor in pursuing further courses. The study was done following 2266 students at more than 100 colleges at the undergrad level. It found that female students who originally planned on degrees in STEM dropped Calculus at a rate 1.5 times higher than males.
Low confidence affects women from pursuing math. Read the shocking study.
Lack of confidence may explain higher failure rates for women studying STEM.
Those involved in STEM education agree that the culture in these disciplines allows for a high early dropout rate and believe that a better education model might help retention rates for females. This education model would follow an active learning class system which encourages more student participation.
The study, published last week in PLOS ONE, supports what many educators have observed and earlier studies have documented: A lack of confidence in mathematical ability, not mathematical capability itself, is a major factor in dissuading female students from pursuing STEM.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- After taking their first calculus course, female college students are significantly more likely to leave science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines than male students.
- Researchers have determined that a lack of confidence before entering the first calculus course, rather than a lack of mathematics capability, is a primary factor in female students’ decision to leave STEM disciplines.
- Many educators believe that active learning strategies may be a means to address female students’ lack of confidence in their ability to grasp the concepts of calculus.
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