Examining the Role of Undergraduate Calculus in the Persistence of Underrepresented Students in the STEM Pipeline.
Published in Preprint, 2023
Abstract: Women, underrepresented minorities, and low-income students remain underrepresented in STEM. Among the required introductory courses, the calculus sequence is an obstacle linked to students’ decisions to leave their chosen discipline. Here, we analyzed data on students’ grades across the calculus sequence at a Hispanic Serving Institution and examined the achievement gap and its evolution over the sequence, the extent of the gap in failure rates for each course and its relation to survival rates, and if course grades are linked to underrepresented students’ decisions to continue with the subsequent coursework. Findings suggest that the barriers in pursuing STEM majors differ between underrepresented subgroups and have implications for how to leverage the calculus requirement to diversify the STEM pipeline.
Recommended citation: Park, S., Lee, N., and Atit, K. Examining the role of undergraduate calculus in the persistence of underrepresented students in the stem pipeline.
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