Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Readiness: Ethno-linguistic and gender differences in high-school course selection patterns

The study examines science-related course choices of high-school students in the culturally diverse schools of the province of British Columbia, Canada. The analysis employs K-12 provincial data and includes over 44,000 students born in 1990 who graduated from high school by 2009. The research sample reflects the presence of about 27% of students for whom English is not a first language. We construct an empirical model that examines ethno-linguistic and gender differences in Grade 12 course choices while accounting for personal and situational differences among students. The study employs a course selection typology that emphasizes readiness for science, technology, engineering and math fields of study. Findings indicate that math- and science-related course selection patterns are strongly associated with ethnicity, qualified not only by gender and prior math and science achievement but also by the individual's grade level at entry to the system and enrollment in English as a Second Language program. Students who are more likely to engage in math and science courses belong to Asian ethno-linguistic groups and entered the provincial school system during the senior high-school years. We suggest that ethnic diversity and broader academic exposure may play a crucial role in changing the gender composition of science classrooms, university fields of study and science-related occupations.

[1]  Christopher Worswick School Performance of the Children of Immigrants in Canada, 1994-98 , 2001 .

[2]  Canada. Census The Canada Year Book. , 1938, Canadian Medical Association journal.

[3]  Grace S Kao,et al.  Racial and Ethnic Stratification in Educational Achievement and Attainment , 2003 .

[4]  D. Reay,et al.  'Classification' and 'Judgement': Social class and the 'cognitive structures' of choice of Higher Education , 2002 .

[5]  M. Reiss,et al.  Count me in! Gender and minority ethnic attainment in school science , 2005 .

[6]  John L. Campbell,et al.  Measuring cultural diversity: ethnic, linguistic and religious fractionalization in the OECD , 2011 .

[7]  L. Andres,et al.  Embarking on and Persisting in Scientific Fields of Study: Cultural capital, gender, and curriculum along the science pipeline , 2008 .

[8]  S. Davies,et al.  The Channeling of Student Competition in Higher Education: Comparing Canada and the U.S. , 2005 .

[9]  J. Osborne,et al.  HIGH ASPIRATIONS BUT LOW PROGRESSION: THE SCIENCE ASPIRATIONS–CAREERS PARADOX AMONGST MINORITY ETHNIC STUDENTS , 2011 .

[10]  V. Thiessen The Pursuit of Postsecondary Education: A Comparison of First Nations, African, Asian, and European Canadian Youth* , 2009 .

[11]  Xin Ma Within‐School Gender Gaps in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy , 2008, Comparative Education Review.

[12]  Anat Yarden,et al.  Girls’ biology, boys’ physics: evidence from free‐choice science learning settings , 2008 .

[13]  B. Francis Heroes or zeroes? The discursive positioning of ‘underachieving boys’ in English neo‐liberal education policy , 2006 .

[14]  M. Frenette Career Goals in High School: Do Students Know What it Takes to Reach Them, and Does it Matter? , 2009 .

[15]  Harvey Krahn,et al.  Resilient teenagers: Explaining the high educational aspirations of visible-minority youth in Canada , 2005 .

[16]  Cynthia Levine-Rasky Canadian perspectives on the sociology of education , 2009 .

[17]  P. Anisef,et al.  Labour market outcomes of immigrant and racial minority university graduates in Canada , 2003 .

[18]  David T. Conley,et al.  Redefining College Readiness. , 2007 .

[19]  K. Toohey,et al.  Hidden Losses: How Demographics Can Encourage Incorrect Assumptions about ESL High School Students' Success. , 2008 .

[20]  R. James Social equity in a mass, globalised higher education environment: the unresolved issue of widening access to university , 2007 .

[21]  Robert Crosnoe,et al.  Research on Adolescence in the Twenty-First Century. , 2011, Annual review of sociology.

[22]  J. Epstein,et al.  More Than Minutes: Teachers' Roles in Designing Homework , 2001 .

[23]  R. Finnie Who goes? Who stays? What matters? : accessing and persisting in post-secondary education in Canada , 2008 .

[24]  Emma L. Smith,et al.  Who is studying science? The impact of widening participation policies on the social composition of UK undergraduate science programmes , 2011 .

[25]  Wayne Martino Boys' Underachievement: Which Boys Are We Talking About? , 2008 .

[26]  Andrea Venezia,et al.  From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education. , 2004 .

[27]  S. Douglas,et al.  English Language Learners’ Transitional Needs from High School to University: An Exploratory Study , 2011 .

[28]  Michael Hoy,et al.  Participation in Canadian Universities: The gender imbalance (1977–2005) , 2010 .

[29]  Catherine Riegle-Crumb,et al.  Who wants to have a career in science or math? Exploring adolescents' future aspirations by gender and race/ethnicity. , 2011 .

[30]  Jun Li Parental expectations of Chinese immigrants: a folk theory about children's school achievement , 2004 .

[31]  Helge Strömdahl,et al.  Science for all or science for some: What Swedish students want to learn about in secondary science and technology and their opinions on science lessons , 2012 .

[32]  C. Suárez-Orozco,et al.  The importance of homework in determining immigrant students' grades in schools in the USA context , 2009 .

[33]  James E. Rosenbaum Beyond College For All: Career Paths for the Forgotten Half , 2002 .

[34]  C. Ungerleider,et al.  The Academic Mobility of Students for Whom English Is Not a First Language: The Roles of Ethnicity, Language, and Class. , 2008 .

[35]  E. Looker Aspirations of Canadian youth for higher education , 2004 .

[36]  A. Conley,et al.  The Link between Educational Expectations and Effort in the College-for-all Era , 2011 .

[37]  S. Machin,et al.  Ethnicity and Educational Achievement in Compulsory Schooling , 2010 .

[38]  T. Dee A Teacher Like Me: Does Race, Ethnicity, or Gender Matter? , 2005 .

[39]  Xueli Wang Modeling Student Choice of STEM Fields of Study: Testing a Conceptual Framework of Motivation, High School Learning, and Postsecondary Context of Support. WISCAPE Working Paper. , 2012 .

[40]  Dalene M. Swanson Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: New Roles for Governments and Families , 2007 .

[41]  P. Anisef,et al.  Early school leaving among immigrants in Toronto secondary schools. , 2010, Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie.

[42]  Paula England,et al.  The Gender Revolution , 2010 .

[43]  Paul Anisef,et al.  Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: New Roles for Governments and Families , 2005 .

[44]  L. Andres,et al.  You've Come a Long Way, Baby? Persistent Gender Inequality in University Enrolment and Completion in Canada, 1979–2004 , 2007 .

[45]  Maria Adamuţi‐Trache,et al.  Academic Effort and Achievement in Science: Beyond a Gendered Relationship , 2013 .

[46]  J. Oakes,et al.  Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality. , 1986 .

[47]  Mark C. Long,et al.  Explaining Gaps in Readiness for College-Level Math: The Role of High School Courses , 2009, Education Finance and Policy.

[48]  R. Finnie ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AMONG UNDER-REPRESENTED AND MINORITY GROUPS: MEASURING THE GAPS, ASSESSING THE CAUSES , 2011 .

[49]  Ryan Macdonald,et al.  Have Adolescents Become Too Ambitious? High School Seniors' Educational and Occupational Plans, 1976 to 2000 , 2006 .

[50]  A. Forsyth,et al.  Access to Higher Education and Disadvantaged Young People , 2003 .

[51]  Edith Samuel,et al.  ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ADOLESCENTS FROM SELECTED ETHNOCULTURAL GROUPS IN CANADA: A STUDY CONSISTENT WITH JOHN OGBU'S THEORY , 2001 .

[52]  B. Garnett Toward Understanding the Academic Trajectories of ESL Youth , 2010 .

[53]  L. Archer Change, Culture and Tradition: British Muslim pupils talk about Muslim girls' post-16 'choices' , 2002 .

[54]  L. Gunderson English-Only Instruction and Immigrant Students in Secondary Schools: A Critical Examination , 2006 .

[55]  H. Roessingh,et al.  The Dynamics of ESL Drop-out: Plus Ça Change… , 2001 .

[56]  Felicia M. Moore,et al.  Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature , 2008 .

[57]  M. Warrington,et al.  The Other Side of the Gender Gap , 2000 .

[58]  L. Hoffmann,et al.  Promoting girls' interest and achievement in physics classes for beginners , 2002 .

[59]  J. Osborne,et al.  Science education in Europe , 2008 .

[60]  Hal Salzman,et al.  Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand , 2007 .

[61]  Christianne Corbett,et al.  Where the Girls Are: The Facts about Gender Equity in Education. Executive Summary. , 2008 .

[62]  E. Tenkorang,et al.  Pursuit of university education among the children of immigrants in Canada: the roles of parental human capital and social capital , 2009 .