The following section classifies students as Native American if they indicated one of the following:
- Checked the box “Native American” when asked “what is your race?”
- Being a registered member of a Native American tribe
- Responded “Native American” when asked “In terms of ethnic group I consider myself to be…”
• Students who come from a low socioeconomic background face unique challenges in their post-secondary schooling experiences, such as having fewer opportunities and more disadvantages in attaining higher education.
• These students are more likely to be older, receive less financial support from parents, and work full-time.
• In turn, these multiple obligations affect their ability to be fully involved in college integration opportunities, such as study groups, interactions with faculty, or participation in extracurricular activities (Engle & Tinto, 2008).
• Additionally, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds have an increased likelihood of leaving the institution after their first year, even after controlling for academic and financial factors (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Fenske et al., 2000; Stinebrickner & Stinebrickner, 2003).
Engle, J., & Tinto, V. (2008). College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation Students. The Pell Institute.
Fenske, R., Porter, J., & DuBrock, C. (2000). Tracking Financial Aid and Persistence of Women, Minority, and Needy Students in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. 29.
Stinebrickner, R., & Stinebrickner, T. R. (2003). Understanding Educational Outcomes of Students from Low-Income Families. 27.
Our Research
• To further understand the experiences of students from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, we examined Family SES and School SES (Holloway, 2020)
• Family SES: Parental Income
• School SES: The number of students that qualify for free or reduced lunch at the participant’s high school
• N: Native American = 236; White = 195; Asian American = 107; Female = 494 (61%); Male = 302 (37%)
• Below is a summary of findings related to socioeconomic background. The stars indicate if there is a significant relationship between the two variables. The positive or negative symbol indicates if the relationship between the two variables is positive or negative.
Significant Predictors SES
• School SES was not predictive of enrollment in a STEM major. In other words, students from high schools that reported all ranges of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch equally enter into STEM majors.
• This finding helps clarify that while STEM enrollment rates among students from high schools that vary in SES may be similar among initial first year enrollment at a university, it may be after students begin their college education when the representation issues occur.
• For example, as students engage in introductory mathematics and science “gateway” courses in college, they may be discouraged if they were not prepared by their high school education and subsequently leave their STEM major.
• Higher Family SES was predictive of lower enrollment in a STEM major
• It may be that students’ from higher socioeconomic backgrounds are less pressured to enroll in lucrative careers, such as STEM careers
• We also found that this relationship is partially explained by Financial Stress. Students who are financially stressed are less likely to enroll in a STEM major
• This may be explained by a concern that STEM degrees take longer to complete than non-STEM. If students are concerned about their ability to finance their education. This may deter them from enrolling in a STEM major if it will be even more costly than a non-STEM major
Student Socioeconomic Background Future Research
• The relationship between a student’s socioeconomic background and enrollment in a STEM major is complicated
• More research is underway to better understand what factors contribute to why someone’s socioeconomic background may influence their decision to leave STEM major/the university after their First-Year
• In addition, research is needed to further examine how someone’s parental income influences their decision to enroll in STEM because past research has indicated mixed findings