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This study examined the impact of a National Science Foundation-funded support program for academically promising STEM students from low-income backgrounds. The program operates as a collaborative consortium, bringing together three public community colleges and one private university, to support the retention and graduation of program scholars. Using propensity score matching, we compared 169 program scholars to 169 matched non-scholars with similar demographic, academic, and financial characteristics ( Mage = 24.82 years; 41% female; 60% students of color). Participation in the program was associated with favorable academic outcomes, with large to moderate effect sizes. Specifically, program scholars had significantly higher cumulative and STEM-specific grade point averages than their non-scholar counterparts. They also completed significantly more STEM courses and were less likely to withdraw from college than non-scholars. These findings underscore the potential of comprehensive and equity-oriented approaches to STEM education in facilitating academic success for STEM students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
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Working with the Wesley College Cannon Scholar Program: Improving Retention, Persistence, and Success,
Wesley College secured a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM (scholarships in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) grant (1355554) to provide affordability and access to its robust STEM programs. With these funds, the college initiated a freshman to senior level, mixed-cohort, Cannon Scholar (CS) learning community (LC). Around the proven high-impact practice of multi-tiered mentoring, this LC is designed for greater commitment to participating STEM undergraduates. It truly is a collaborative effort between faculty and administrators. For Scholars interested in mentored research, existing NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences-IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence funding, complement the innovation and cross-disciplinary collaborations in the CS programming. This enriches and further supports the CS LC. Throughout the 2014-2016 program duration, there were 66 unique scholarship recipients and 82% participated in directed research. Fifty-nine percent were from underrepresented minority populations and 65% were female. Ninety-five percent of these Scholars were retained and 100% of the graduates (n = 21) entered STEM fields. Analyses controlled for population similarity proves that with an intensive focus on academic support, high-impact uplifting practices were implemented through a framework of comprehensive student engagement activities. Such strategic interactions resulted in higher overall GPAs and significantly improved Scholar retention rates.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1757353
- PAR ID:
- 10100282
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of STEM education
- Volume:
- 19
- ISSN:
- 1557-5276
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 31-40
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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