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Predicting Undergraduate Student Retention in STEM Majors Based on Career Development Factors
Author(s) -
Belser Christopher T.,
Prescod Diandra J.,
Daire Andrew P.,
Dagley Melissa A.,
Young Cynthia Y.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the career development quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.846
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 2161-0045
pISSN - 0889-4019
DOI - 10.1002/cdq.12082
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , psychology , medical education , career development , intervention (counseling) , mathematics education , pedagogy , medicine , psychiatry
A research gap exists with regard to examining the influence of career interventions and career readiness assessments on student retention in college majors related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To address this gap, the authors examined 3 variables as potential predictors of retention in STEM‐related majors: (a) a STEM‐focused career planning intervention, (b) students' initial major declarations, and (c) changes in scores on a measure of career readiness. Results revealed that all 3 independent variables were significant predictors of STEM retention but did not accurately predict students who would not be retained. These results have implications for undergraduate STEM initiatives, college counselors and career advisors, and researchers investigating the predictors of STEM retention. Future research should include additional predictor variables.