| Janet Holt
Northern Illinois University
Racial and gender gaps in math and science educational and occupational persistence: Exploring critical transitions using growth mixture modeling
Racial and gender gaps in math and science achievement, attitudes and educational persistence are well documented. Although, these gaps have been narrowing in recent years, there is still evidence that substantial gaps exist (Huang, Taddese, & Walter, 2000). Although equity in educational outcomes is a goal in itself, the broader ramification is a redirection of women and persons of color out of math and science-related occupations, and a further narrowing of the diversity of human capital employed in the math and science workforce. A critical question this presents is what factors influence the non-persistence of minorities and women in the math and science workforce and equally important, at what stages in one's educational and career path are these factors most important for influencing the decisions of minorities and women to pursue and persist in math and science education and occupations? The proposed study will address these issues by studying the factors related to educational and occupational persistence in math and science across critical transition periods and determine if: (a) there are "at-risk" growth profiles that are predictive of non-persistence in science, math, and engineering (SME) postsecondary education and careers, (b) what factors are related to these growth profiles, and (c) whether these factors differ among various racial groups and between males and females. This investigation will use the NELS 1988 - 2000 survey data to assess persistence in math, science and engineering educational and occupational outcomes utilizing methodology well suited for studying transition periods, growth mixture modeling. The resulting analysis will generate "at-risk" growth profiles for those unlikely to persist in science, math, and engineering college education and careers and determine personal, home background and school characteristics that can account for these profiles.
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