![]() ![]() STEM attrition is defined as enrollment choices that result in students interested in STEM leaving their academic programs by switching majors to non-STEM fields or dropping out of college (Green & Sanderson, 2017 Jelks & Crain, 2020 Shedlosky-Shoemaker & Fautch 2015 Xu, 2018). STEM shortages seem to be more evident in quantitative disciplines (Duncheon, 2018 National Science Board, 2018). Nevertheless, there seems to be a generalized accord that the United States is not close to meeting the need for the Nation’s science and technology talent, and that attrition from the field may be a contributing factor (Apriceno et al., 2020 Belser et al., 2018 Hrabowski & Henderson, 2017 Sithole et al., 2017). (2014), Hira and Hira (2008), and Piatkowski (2020) have argued that shortages in the STEM workforce are not widespread but dependent on which disciplines are under scrutiny and the methodologies used when mining job posting data. Researchers like Camilli and Hira (2019), Carnevale et al. There is a robust debate among STEM education and policy researchers about the extent to which the output of STEM professionals is adequate for meeting workforce needs or not. The number of college graduates in the United States exceeded 61 million in 2017 and nearly half of employed college graduates earn their highest degree in a science and engineering field (Foley et al., 2020). ![]() Air Force has prioritized scientific discovery and has relied on a highly skilled workforce to manage the discovery, development, and integration of STEM to advance its mission (National Research Council, 2010). national security environment that demands greater scope and depth from science and technology. Department of Defense (National Research Council, 2012a, 2012b, 2014) as essential for a strong military and for an evolving U.S. STEM graduates and a vigorous science and technology workforce have also been identified by the U.S. Graduates from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors are essential for many professions and for a robust economy (Fayer et al., 2017 Piatkowski, 2020). ![]() Recommendations to reduce STEM attrition include (a) developing an early-warning, data-driven system to monitor and support STEM-interested freshmen cadets within specific SAT score ranges and whose GPA decrease below a certain threshold (b) critically reviewing and strengthening the STEM curricula at preparatory schools (c) providing additional information and peer-led focus groups on the academic expectations of STEM and non-STEM majors (d) recruiting STEM instructors with pedagogical content knowledge to teach introductory STEM courses and (e) enhancing the curricula of introductory STEM courses at USAFA with teaching methods supported by research, including project-based and authentic learning, and data-driven modeling. Survey data reveals that a lack of information about occupation and labor markets, coursework cognitive load and quantity, and instructor interactions may be linked to STEM attrition. Also, undecided cadets with higher GPA and SAT scores, secondary majors, and Scholars statuses were more likely to major in STEM. STEM Departers were statistically more likely to have low GPA and SAT Math scores and to have attended a preparatory school before enrolling at USAFA. Our mixed-methods study examines factors associated with STEM attrition and persistence at the USAFA using two years of academic data from the USAFA’s Registrar’s Office and a thematic analysis of the narrative responses obtained from surveyed cadets. Air Force Academy (USAFA), where STEM recruitment and STEM major attrition are consistent challenges. This national trend is observed at the U.S. However, from high school to graduate school, the STEM pipeline loses up to 50% of its potential workforce, particularly in quantitative disciplines. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals are indispensable for a robust economy and a strong military in evolving U.S. Belcher Intituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, São José dos Campos, Brazil Wilson González-Espada Department of Physics, Earth Science & Space Systems Engineering, Morehead State University Méndez University at Gurabo and Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust Lachlan T. O’Keefe and David Meier Department of Physics and Meteorology, United States Air Force Academy Jorge Valentine-Rodríguez Ana G. A Mixed Methods Analysis of STEM Major Attrition at the U.S. ![]()
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