A Study Reveals Undergraduate Minority Students Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Link God and Faith to Educational Success

Tinto, Astin, and Padilla, key researchers of student persistence and retention, have associated factors such as academic rigor, social integration, and first-year grade point average with undergraduate students’ success. Mitchell (2011) conducted a study, which produced similar findings. However, in addition to the aforementioned factors, this study revealed that underrepresented minority students at a public regional university in the South also linked God and faith to their academic success in STEM disciplines.

In the last 50 years more than half of America’s sustained economic growth has been fueled by its engineers, scientists, and advanced-degree technologists because of their education, scientific knowledge, and technological innovation (Shultz, Metz, Lowes, McGrath, & McKay, 2008). Consequently, the demand for STEM talent in our Nation has drastically increased. The U.S. Department of Labor’s 2014 workforce predictions reveal that 15 of the 20 fastest growing occupations will require significant science or mathematics training to successfully compete for a job (State Educational Technology Directors Association [SETDA], 2008). Furthermore, of the ten fastest growing occupations in the United States, eight are science or technology related (Van Kooten, 2008).

However, as the United States economy becomes more science and technology-based; overall fewer American students are entering and persisting in STEM disciplines (Atkinson, Hugo, Lundgren, Shapiro, & Thomas, 2007). Consequently, many United States businesses are importing talent and exporting jobs as the Nations colleges and universities fail to meet the demand for STEM graduates. A vital part of the solution to U.S. shortages could very well be the effective use and development of more minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American) students’ talent in STEM disciplines.

According to Slaughter and McPhail (2007), minority participation in post-secondary education is predicted to increase from 32% to 38% by 2025. Additionally, the National Science Foundation (2004) predicts the minority student population between the ages of 18 and 24 in post-secondary education will be an estimated 50% by 2050. As more minority students enroll in post secondary education, it is essential to the U.S. competitiveness in the global market that more of these students are educationally prepared to enter and to graduate in STEM disciplines.

When it comes to human capital, Burke and Mattis (2007) assert, “Education is the most important investment a country makes generating future prospects” (p. 4) in STEM disciplines and the workforce. While many factors must be considered to meet STEM shortages, tapping the reservoir of underrepresented minorities could help in meeting this emerging national need as these minorities continue to show great increases in college enrollment (George, Neale, Van Horne, & Malcom, 2001). Understanding factors that motivate or contribute to minority student success may be a required ingredient in better understanding cultural intelligence, cultural capital, diversity, and pedagogy as it relates to minority students’ success in STEM. Indeed, respect for the role of spirituality in culture is significant.

According to Mitchell’s (2011) mixed methods study, eighteen minority students attributed a significant amount of their STEM matriculation success to God and to their faith. The nominal group was composed of eleven African American, four Hispanics, and three Native American students who were selected through the use of a stratified random sample. Overall, the results of the top five persistence responses, as ranked by the undergraduate minority students included the following: (1) determination to be successful in life, (2) financial security, (3) family members, (4) God and faith, and (5) knowing that education is a key to success. God and faith was given a score of 20 as it related to these students’ persistence and success in STEM and was third only to financial security and family members, which both received a score of 21, and the determination to be successful in life, which was given a score of 30. God and faith ranked the third highest out of a possible 56 responses.

After aggregating the data, the overall ranking of God and faith by minority students in this study highlights an important factor, which warrants consideration. Faith is a key ingredient to STEM success for students in this study. According to Grigg, (2010),

Historically, education has been rooted in faith, especially postsecondary higher education, and this transcends all faith groups. Harvard University came into existence after John Harvard willed his entire library and a sum of money equal to half of his estate to help educate ministers (p. 58).

As educators at this regional university give careful consideration to innovative and best practices in educating undergraduate students in STEM, God and faith appears to be a vital contributor to these undergraduate minority students’ STEM persistence and success. Toliver (2005) asserts that all stakeholders and policymakers must understand that minority students’ persistence and retention are not just minority problems, but is a challenge to institutions in general. It is evident that minority participants in this study desire the affirmation of their faith as they continue to persist in STEM disciplines. Embracing God and faith as a contributor to minority student success should not be overlooked at this institution based on participants surveyed in this study.

According to Dallavis (2010), the Director of Notre Dame ACE academies, the following two recommendations could play key roles in helping to establish more effective collaboration between faith and pedagogy. Dallavis posits that universities should “Offer professional development that prepares teachers to engage in culturally responsive pedagogy.” Additionally, she encourages institutions to “Prepare teachers to take advantage of the cultural connections made possible by shared faith.” Cultural connectedness and awareness for those who teach as well as those who must be taught is crucial for pedagogy to be holistic and effective. As the nation’s educators are consistently challenged with the need to go ‘back to the basics’ it appears that God and faith needs to be a part of the equation, when it comes to minority students and their undergraduate success in STEM disciplines.

The nation’s educational initiative can be further enhanced by a more strategic preparation plan for native minority U.S. students than that which currently exists to help meet the STEM demand. While they are identified as minorities, they will not remain a minority within the population of post secondary education. According to the National Science Board, (2010), “Ideally, foreign talent should augment a robust domestic STEM talent pipeline, not compensate for its deficiencies.” Investing in America’s minority STEM talent could provide a significant return for the United States STEM workforce and demand for human capital.

On April 20, 2010, the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill caused a national uproar, which sought even international solutions as tons of gallons of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico causing a serious loss of oil and devastation to coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. According to Nix (2011) via peer academic discussion, it was realized that in comparison to the BP oil spill, vast amounts of minority human capital with great potential is lost daily within STEM disciplines. In 2008, a national study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation developed an actual model of the STEM pipeline, which demonstrated the severe lost of human capital. However, the lost of minority STEM talent appears to be a quiet crisis amidst other national calamities.

If more institutions began to acknowledge what minority students deem is important to their success, such as God and faith, this could lead to a greater percentage of successful student matriculation through the STEM pipeline.

References

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Dallavis, C. (2010, November 2). Teaching with faith: Culturally responsive pedagogy and faith-based schools. Indiana Non-Public Education Conference (INPEC) 2010, Indianapolis, IN, Indiana Convention Center. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/pnttcucusgre/inpec-2010-teaching-with-faith-culturally-responsive-pedagogy-and-faith-based-schools/
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