Parents major influence on child’s decision to pursue science
Parental influence and access to mathematics courses are likely to guide students to careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medicine (STEMM), according to research from Michigan State University.
The findings of Jon Miller, MSU Hannah Professor of Integrative Studies, and colleagues were presented at a symposium titled “Tomorrow’s Scientists and Engineers” at this year’s meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
“Failure to build and maintain a competitive scientific work force in the decades ahead,” Miller said, “will inevitably lead to a decline in the American standard of living.”
Miller used data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, which kept track of nearly 6,000 students from middle school through college, attempting to determine what led them to or guided them away from STEMM careers.
According to Miller, “The pathway to a STEMM career begins at home (.pdf).” He said this is especially true in families in which children were strongly encouraged to go to college.
“Only four percent of students who experienced low parent encouragement to attend college planned to enter a postsecondary program and major in a STEMM field,” he said. “This compares to 41 percent of students whose parents strongly encouraged college attendance…”
The research also reinforced the role mathematics plays in the pursuit of a STEMM career.
“Mathematics is a primary gateway to a STEMM career,” Miller said, “beginning with algebra track placement in grades seven and eight, and continuing through high school and college calculus courses.”
Makes sense to me. Reflecting on the article, I can still hear my father encouraging me to go to night school to study engineering even I had to start work at 17 as an apprentice machinist to contribute to the family income.
My interest in science had always been as respected within the family as our shared interest in creative and performing arts.
For a kid growing up in the downhill end of a New England factory town, I think I received solid support for STEMM.
Not always correct, many kids know exactly what they want to be, many do not. <Many surprise us in their choice of vocation, and many go their own way parental guidance or not. Mere speculation, I hear you whinge, no way, direct experience.Parents who support their kids choice of vocation do well on the whole. Parents who want their kids to be what their parents want them to be, do and can rebel. getting the balance and attitude right from both is usually good, but not definite, nothing is.
zorki
February 22, 2010 at 3:55 am
I agree with what you wrote. But it’s also very important to help guide the children. Raising is just that… raise your child. Nurture them and give them the foundation to stand on. According to the school system, my son is gifted (he’s in a “gift program”). But reality is that we introduced him to learning at an early stage (before he was five). We made learning a fun thing, and he brought that with him through his school years. Instead of calling him and the others “gifted”, I would rather use the term “academically mature”. As for profession, I don’t think he’ll follow in our footsteps… (I’m a programmer and his mother is an engineer) instead he’s aiming for science. He has shown a great interest for chemistry since he was nine years old. Now he’s in high school. Whatever he does, I’ll support him (unless it’s becoming a bum or a conservative).
Jägermeister
February 22, 2010 at 7:33 pm
I agree with academically mature.
I was fortunate enough to have the same guidance from my parents – and our weekend highlight was my mom and my kid sister and me walking the 4-mile roundtrip to the neighborhood Carnegie Library.
My mom battled with the library administration and won – and got me an adult card when I was eight. Best present I ever got.
eideard
February 22, 2010 at 8:09 pm
That’s the equivalent of giving a child access to the Internet. An unlimited access to information.
Richard Feynman on the subject:
I wish he still was alive.
Jägermeister
February 22, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Ed,
My first response reading your notes was “you’re preaching to the choir”.
What I’ve noticed with my, now 10 y/o, is that fun in learning at 5 is gone. No, she doesn’t hate school, gets all “A”s and is relatively good athletically. But school is teaching her a set way of learning instead of promoting learning for the sake of learning.
Mr. Fusion
February 23, 2010 at 6:11 am