DIFFERENCES IN INTEREST AND DESIRE TO MAJOR IN INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE COURSES BY GENDER AND MINORITY STATUS

Geoscience is the least diverse STEM field. This study aims to identify introductory geoscience student differences, by gender or minority status, using situational interest, situational desire to major, and literature based characteristics such as enjoyment of outdoors, knowledge of job opportunities, and self-identity as a geoscientist. Nearly 200 introductory geology students in 13 course sections in a two- and a four-year institution in Rhode Island were administered a survey multiple times over a semester to measure changes in interest and desire to major in geoscience. Students also completed a questionnaire at the end of the semester that assessed literature-based characteristics associated with attraction to geoscience. Throughout the semester, females reported lower interest levels. They also reported a lower desire to major at the semester start and end. On the semester end questionnaire, females were less likely to self-identify as a geoscientist. Minorities reported higher interest than non-minorities at the semester start and end, but they did not differ on desire to major or on any literature-based characteristic associated with attraction to geoscience. Greater interest and self-identification as a geoscientist may explain the differences in desire to major for males versus females in the introductory courses studied. However, the lack of differences for minorities versus non-minorities in introductory courses suggests that their decreased likelihood to major is influenced by factors that come into play later. Understanding the factors that influence interest and desire to major in the geosciences will enable instructors to maximize the effect of geoscience courses for underrepresented students at the time point it matters most.