Scholarlink

<p>Single parent students remain an understudied population in STEM education research, despite facing substantial financial, time, and caregiving constraints. This study examines STEM degree completion and early labor market outcomes of single parent students using nationally representative data. Focusing on students who declared STEM majors and persisted into their senior year, the study compares STEM degree completion rates by single parent student status. It also examines students who earned STEM degrees to assess persistence in STEM occupations and income levels one and four years after graduation by single parent student status. The results indicate that single parent students who reach their senior year complete STEM degrees at rates comparable to those who are not single parent students. Among STEM graduates, single parent graduates demonstrate similar persistence in STEM careers and comparable income one and four years after graduation. The findings suggest that inequities in the STEM pipeline for single parent students may be concentrated earlier in the undergraduate years, particularly in STEM major enrollment and persistence in college. Future research should examine STEM major enrollment by single parent student status and employ longitudinal designs to analyze rates of STEM persistence and degree completion conditional on initial STEM enrollment by single parent student status. Mixed-methods studies are needed to examine how early academic performance and STEM-specific self-efficacy shape long-term educational and career trajectories in STEM for single parent students.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

National Patterns in STEM Degree and Career Outcomes for Single Parent Students: Evidence from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (2016) and Baccalaureate and Beyond (2016/2020) Surveys

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月31日

查看全文
  • Betul Iscan,
  • Kenneth Retzl,
  • Jieon Shim,
  • Xilin Zhang,
  • Yizhi Zhu

摘要

Single parent students remain an understudied population in STEM education research, despite facing substantial financial, time, and caregiving constraints. This study examines STEM degree completion and early labor market outcomes of single parent students using nationally representative data. Focusing on students who declared STEM majors and persisted into their senior year, the study compares STEM degree completion rates by single parent student status. It also examines students who earned STEM degrees to assess persistence in STEM occupations and income levels one and four years after graduation by single parent student status. The results indicate that single parent students who reach their senior year complete STEM degrees at rates comparable to those who are not single parent students. Among STEM graduates, single parent graduates demonstrate similar persistence in STEM careers and comparable income one and four years after graduation. The findings suggest that inequities in the STEM pipeline for single parent students may be concentrated earlier in the undergraduate years, particularly in STEM major enrollment and persistence in college. Future research should examine STEM major enrollment by single parent student status and employ longitudinal designs to analyze rates of STEM persistence and degree completion conditional on initial STEM enrollment by single parent student status. Mixed-methods studies are needed to examine how early academic performance and STEM-specific self-efficacy shape long-term educational and career trajectories in STEM for single parent students.