Investigating Student Interest In Post Secondary Stem Education

In a world of rapidly changing technology, knowledge explosion, and globalization, there is a fundamental shift in the type of workforce America needs to remain competitive in a complex and integrated global market. Trends and projections of enrollment and degree production suggest a shortfall in scientific and technical capabilities. For example, from 1993 to 2000, the number of public high school graduates went up by 14.6%, but engineering degree production went down by 6.1%. This decline is particularly disturbing given the changing demographics of the US. American children are falling behind in STEM skills; they are simply not “world-class learners” in science and math. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study tested the students of 41 nations. Children from the U.S. were among the leaders in the fourth grade assessment, but by high school they were almost last 1 . Interest in scientific and mathematical ideas is declining, and students are not being instructed to a level of competence they will need to perform challenging jobs productively.