MATH SUCCESS AS A PREDICTOR OF PERSISTENCE IN STEM

Southwestern Illinois College, a community college outside of St. Louis, has an S-STEM grant that recruits low-income students planning to transfer and earn bachelors’ degrees in any science, math or engineering field. The program has been successful in attracting a diverse group, in giving them a cohort experience, and in providing mentoring and development opportunities.To determine why the success rate is less than what we hoped, we investigated both academic and attitudinal factors of students that successfully completed the program and those that left the program. The two groups had similar high-school GPAs, math placements, levels of science interest, and confidence in their science and math abilities (as measured by the STEM-CIS). The most apparent difference is their performance in their first semester math course; students who earned As and Bs were more likely to successfully complete the program. Similarly, students who successfully completed the program were more likely to take a science class during their first semester and to earn and A or B in that class. This information provides guidance about how to intervene – students who earn a C in that first math class not only struggle with the math skills needed in higher-level courses, but also suffer from a loss of confidence (this again is evident in the STEM-CIS results). Getting students registered in a science class their first semester, and providing more structured guidance on how to study might help students do better in those initial STEM classes. For students who earn Cs in those early classes, intensive tutoring and mentoring still might help them overcome this obstacle and persist in the program (and in college).