Pathways to S&E Professions: Investigating Persistence and Career Choice for Bachelor's and Master's Graduates

罗格斯大学新不伦瑞克分校与密歇根大学合作，将使用大型行政数据集和实地调查，通过混合方法研究科学和工程教育和职业轨迹。这项对理工科本科生和硕士生职业轨迹中关键选择点的研究，将为研究人员和教育工作者提供洞察，了解使学生进入STEM道路和一些人离开STEM的关键因素。研究人员将使用具有全国代表性的调查数据、来自主要研究型大学的纵向管理数据以及在大学和公司的访谈，重点关注高影响事件（例如，研究和工作经验、咨询、特殊课程）对职业决策的作用以及影响科学和工程职业进入和持续的需求侧因素。在公司和大学的实地考察将考察公司如何构建生物科学和工程工作和职业，以及这如何影响学生的职业选择和最初的职业轨迹。该研究对基础教育和职业路径知识的一个重要贡献是开发和测试影响学生选择STEM职业的重要因素的综合模型。本项目由美国国家科学基金会EHR核心研究（ECR）项目支持。ECR项目强调在该领域产生基础知识的基础STEM教育研究。研究设计基于对调查、管理数据集和实地考察的三角测量，以提供对学生轨迹、高影响事件的全面评估，并特别关注本科生的研究经历。三个主要的研究分析将通过深入研究为STEM教育和劳动力投资提供信息：(1)影响学生通过s&&e专业和职业的关键决策点和高影响事件，(2)本科生研究就业对大学毕业和进入s&&e职业的影响，以及(3)s&&e公司的工作结构如何影响职业选择和坚持。该研究建立在职业咨询（例如，兴趣匹配）和劳动力市场研究的规范理论的基础上，这些研究侧重于对工资率和就业机会变化的边际反应；这一实证分析将推进当前的知识，以全面检查多因素和偶然的决策点。通过对定性和定量方法进行三角测量，并使用详细的纵向数据，该研究还将根据人口群体、专业和职业领域检查不同的影响和结果，以提供对学生轨迹和高影响事件的全面评估。纵向数据和供给（毕业生）和需求（雇主）的实地调查将允许使用倾向得分匹配和新的工具变量策略来确定s&p教育中的因果关系，从而建立教育对职业轨迹和差异影响的模型。本项目由美国国家科学基金会EHR核心研究（ECR）项目支持。ECR项目强调基础STEM教育研究，在三个领域产生基础知识：STEM学习和学习环境，扩大参与和劳动力发展。

Science and engineering education and career trajectories will be examined in a mixed methods research study, using large, administrative datasets and fieldwork, in a collaboration of Rutgers University New Brunswick with the University of Michigan. This study of the critical choice points in the career trajectories of undergraduate and master's students in science and engineering will provide insight to researchers and educators about key factors that bring students into STEM pathways and some to leave STEM. Researchers will use nationally-representative survey data, longitudinal administrative data from major research universities and interviews in universities and firms to focus on the role of high impact events (e.g., research and work experiences, advising, particular courses) on career decisions as well as demand side factors that affect science and engineering career entry and persistence. Fieldwork in firms and colleges will examine how firms are structuring bioscience and engineering jobs and careers and how that affects students' career choices and initial career trajectories. An important contribution of the research, to fundamental education and career pathway knowledge, is developing and testing a comprehensive model of significant factors that affect students' choice of STEM careers. This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field.The research design is based on triangulating across survey and administrative datasets and fieldwork to provide a full assessment of student trajectories, high-impact events with particular but not exclusive focus on the undergraduate research experience. Three major research analyses will inform STEM education and workforce investments by examining in depth: (1) key decision points and high-impact events that influence student pathways through S&E majors and careers, (2) the impact of undergraduate research employment on college completion and entry into S&E careers, and (3) how the structure of work in S&E firms influences career choices and persistence. The research builds on the normative theories in career counseling (e.g., of interest matching) and labor market studies that focus on the marginal responses to changes in wage rates and employment opportunities; this empirical analysis will advance current knowledge to comprehensively examine multiple factors and contingent decision points. By triangulating across qualitative and quantitative approaches and using detailed longitudinal data, the study will also examine differential impacts and outcomes by demographic group, major, and career field, to provide a full assessment of student trajectories and high-impact events. The longitudinal data and the fieldwork of both supply (graduates) and demand (employers) will allow modeling of the education to career trajectories and differential impacts using propensity score matching and novel instrumental variables strategies to identify causal effects in S&E education.This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in three areas: STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation, and workforce development.