{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/stemretention","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"slug":"stemretention","excerpt":"Science students are leaving their majors at alarming rates. Why do some STEM Bruins feel overlooked and unsupported in the classroom?","headline":"Staying in STEM?","author":"Kate Green and Rachel Rothschild","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/stemretention/MAINILLO-ea3cd80bdced16199bbeb9373498ce1f.jpg","covercred":"Danielle Nalangan","coveralt":"Illustration of a student being picked out of a classroom that represents the concept of students being “weeded” out of STEM majors","articleType":"article","updated":null,"content":[{"type":"text","value":"Shao Li entered UCLA this fall with big dreams of studying the sciences. An admirer of ocean life, he set his sights on saving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef."},{"type":"text","value":"“Like any other child, it was my dream to be a marine biologist,” he said."},{"type":"text","value":"But by winter quarter, Li traded in his micropipette for a movie camera. In just one quarter, the hopeful marine biology student switched his major to film. What prompted this drastic change?"},{"type":"text","value":"According to Li, now a first-year film and television student, he lacked support in his lower division science courses and constantly felt like he was in survival mode during class."},{"type":"text","value":"“I thought coming here (UCLA), I would finally get the science education that I was missing in high school,” he said. “It wasn’t like that at all.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Li has not battled challenges in the sciences alone. His peers pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at UCLA and universities <a href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797620904451\">nationwide</a> are leaving their programs at alarming frequencies. According to 2019 data from UCLA’s Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 20% of life and physical sciences students switch to other fields, compared to 5% of humanities and social science students. Furthermore, <a href=\"https://www.heri.ucla.edu/nih/downloads/ASHE2010-What-matters-for-STEM-completion.pdf\">studies</a> by the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute show that underrepresented students have a lower chance of completing their STEM degrees at more selective universities."},{"type":"text","value":"In the wake of such findings, many former STEM Bruins are attributing some of the blame to what they deem as unaccommodating and often inequitable lower division classes."},{"type":"text","value":"Education and Asian American studies professor Mitchell Chang described lower division courses such as calculus and organic chemistry as part of a phenomenon called weeder classes. So-called weeder classes are challenging introductory courses that often shake STEM students’ academic confidence, Chang said, and make students doubt their post-graduation plans. For example, pre-med students who struggle with organic chemistry courses may no longer envision themselves arriving at medical school, he said."},{"type":"text","value":"“They (students) don’t see other options for themselves in those fields, so they transfer out,” Chang said. “Not from physics to environmental studies or another science, but … they transfer out of STEM altogether.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Chang said the culture of weeder classes comes from the faculty’s desire to only retain students who truly care about their fields of interest."},{"type":"text","value":"For Bruins entering UCLA’s STEM departments, their majors often seem like the culmination of childhood aspirations. First-year anthropology student Rahaf Abumansour originally pursued a computer science major fueled by a high school love of artificial intelligence. Robotics consumed her teen years as she participated in state and national competitions in Saudi Arabia. However, family pressure to pursue a STEM degree weighed on her too."},{"type":"text","value":"“You’re always surrounded by family members that say, ‘Become an engineer, become a doctor.’ And it was always, ‘What are you going to do with an anthropology degree?’” she said."},{"type":"text","value":"Despite the forces pushing Abumansour to complete a STEM degree, her growing interest in anthropology – coupled with the steep learning curve she faced in her introductory computer science courses – caused her to switch her major by the end of her first quarter at UCLA, she said."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"Family pressure to pursue a STEM degree weighed on her too.\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“I wasn’t motivated to code,” she said. “I wasn’t that excited to do things that I thought I was going to be really excited for, and I just felt myself lose a bit of my passion for the subject.”"},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Illustration of a little figure standing on the touchpad of a computer with code across it\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/stemretention/computerscience-cd22aba327f9e111cb4c7a6a9ad9c673.PNG\",\"credit\":\"Danielle Nalangan/Daily Bruin\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Li shared a similar despondency over course material – but he also expressed frustration over inequity within weeder classes."},{"type":"text","value":"Expecting a fresh start in college, Li entered UCLA excited to make up for years of inadequate teaching in middle and high school, he said. But as soon as classes began, his chemistry professor assigned work assuming that all students entered the classroom having previously taken Advanced Placement chemistry. Li’s high school did not offer the course, so he immediately felt on the back foot."},{"type":"text","value":"“I grew up poor, I’m Black, I went to an inner city school, and we didn’t have the best resources afforded to us,” Li said."},{"type":"text","value":"He added that the chemistry professor ignored his emails inquiring about ADHD accommodations and support. The professor eventually responded to Li and advised him to drop the course, he said."},{"type":"text","value":"“One quarter was enough to be like, ‘Get out of this major man. You don’t belong here,’” Li said. “That’s how I felt. I always felt like I didn’t belong in the major.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Fourth-year English student Buddy Al-Aydi transferred out of the biochemistry major in the fall of their second year at UCLA to pursue a more creative career."},{"type":"text","value":"Al-Aydi attended a rural high school, which he said often emphasized athletic success over STEM rigor, and grew similarly disillusioned with UCLA’s competitive weeder classes."},{"type":"text","value":"In order to catch up on the high school preparation they lacked, Al-Aydi attended office hours for their lab courses and signed up for tutoring with the professional chemistry fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma. Still, he left his general chemistry lab final feeling devastated."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"I always felt like I didn’t belong in the major.”\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“I felt like I knew nothing that was on the paper,” they said. “I felt like I would be lucky to even pass this thing. It really solidified that I really don’t want to continue doing STEM anymore. I don’t like this feeling of not being able to understand what I’m reading or what I’m talking about.”"},{"type":"text","value":"According to Chang, pre-college characteristics – such as taking certain advanced high school math courses – are strong predictors of STEM retention. Chang’s research with HERI revealed that every additional completed year of high school math increases a student’s likelihood of graduating with a STEM degree."},{"type":"text","value":"Li believes this pattern is tied to frequently overlooked socioeconomic factors."},{"type":"text","value":"“People don’t talk about this,” Li said. “There’s this big privilege that comes with these classes, which is that if you didn’t have the privilege to be able to take certain classes before or get certain resources, you’re going to get weeded out and you’re not going to be able to continue with that major or degree.”"},{"type":"text","value":"The issue of STEM retention does not impact students evenly across the board. HERI’s reports reveal that white students earn STEM degrees, as opposed to no degrees, at significantly higher rates than their Black, Latino and Native American peers. Additionally, <a href=\"https://www.hrpub.org/download/20160530/UJER30-19506512.pdf\">research</a> out of Wichita State University identified a statistically significant difference in higher education STEM retention between female and male students, with fewer women completing their STEM degrees."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"I don’t like this feeling of not being able to understand what I’m reading or what I’m talking about.”\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Chang and many STEM students recognize how students’ underrepresented identities intersect with a lack of resources and affect their experience in weeder courses. When students find their identities underrepresented in places such as the classroom, imposter syndrome may cause them to feel as if they do not belong in those spaces – and they may eventually decide to leave them."},{"type":"text","value":"According to Chang, marginalized students within STEM can face microaggressions, including lower academic expectations from faculty and classmates. He added that these experiences can indicate to students that they don’t belong in STEM and exacerbate prior educational inequities."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Illustration of little figures that represent students crawling around a 3D rendering of a molecule\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/stemretention/chemistrysmaller-4e3fdfeda1cc0fc36e3627b1e100fd48.png\",\"credit\":\"Danielle Nalangan/Daily Bruin\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“When you stand out in such a way where you feel uneasy, that reduces your sense that you belong,” he said. “(This has) profound effects on students who are more often than not already coming in at a disadvantage based on their preparation.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Alumnus Daji Landis majored in math and recalled a general lack of student-centered instruction in her math courses, in which she was usually one of only a few women."},{"type":"text","value":"Throughout her time in the math department, Landis occasionally toyed with the idea of changing to a less intensive program. She remembered experiencing test anxiety, a feeling she believes is more widely held among underrepresented demographics."},{"type":"text","value":"“I think there’s this classic difference where when women struggle, they think, ‘Oh, I’m the one struggling, it’s me, I don’t understand something,’” Landis said. “And when a guy struggles, you know, maybe he thinks more like, ‘Oh, well, if I don’t understand it, then no one does.’”"},{"type":"text","value":"Landis’ sole female STEM professor advised her to seek out female mentors, whom she found in her research supervisor and in organizations such as the Women in Math Mentorship Program."},{"type":"text","value":"“I found community, I really liked the subject material, and we just sort of powered through the less-than-stellar,” Landis said."},{"type":"text","value":"While STEM involvement outside the classroom might help some Bruins develop a passion for their field, it can intimidate underclassmen trying to prioritize their coursework. Deterred by the time commitment, Abumansour decided to eschew extracurriculars and focus on school work to ease her transition into college."},{"type":"text","value":"“The first year, I avoided clubs,” Abumansour said. “I wanted to get a sense of the quarter system and how college should be and how to maintain good grades.”"},{"type":"text","value":"But Chang encouraged students tackling STEM majors to seek engagement outside the classroom. According to Chang, participating in study groups and academic enrichment activities such as undergraduate research increases students’ interaction with their coursework and field overall, ultimately boosting retention."},{"type":"text","value":"“All these things combine to create a stronger sense of a science identity,” Chang said. “That develops their motivation and increases their chances of succeeding. By that, I mean not only obtaining an undergraduate science degree but also moving on to graduate studies.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Recognizing the benefits of cultivating students’ STEM identities, faculty and students alike are searching for solutions to further integrate STEM support programs into the classroom."},{"type":"text","value":"According to UCLA Community Programs Office undergraduate retention advisor Nicole Ngaosi, the office funds several programs specifically geared toward STEM students. The CPO’s test bank offers free study materials, and the Math Success Program provides peer counseling and review sessions for core math courses, Ngaosi added. Beyond test preparation, Ngaosi said the MSP also holds social events and provides resources promoting the representation of diverse STEM professionals."},{"type":"text","value":"“Based on student feedback from projects and services such as MSP, students report having better grades and higher likelihood to pursue academics and professional trajectories related to STEM,” Ngaosi said in an emailed statement."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Illustration of little figures crawling across a tumbling stack of books with different STEM subjects on their spines\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/stemretention/bookstackcrop-b2846251afc4c2087535ede47a8b7602.PNG\",\"credit\":\"Danielle Nalangan/Daily Bruin\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"UCLA’s Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences also currently leads STEM retention initiatives – both the course Life Sciences 110: “Diversifying Career Pathways for Life Science Students” and the Undergraduate Learning Assistant Program serve to cultivate a sense of belonging among life sciences students. Life Sciences 110 seeks to increase students’ sense of belonging by revealing new career options to life sciences students, said CEILS executive director Rachel Kennison, and the LA program further aims to boost morale by providing Bruins in lower division STEM courses with undergraduate teaching team members."},{"type":"text","value":"“The system itself is not providing the kind of support and resources they need so that all students can achieve equally and equitably,” Kennison said. “They’re all top, top, top students. But if they get here and the climate does not then support them, then that can lead to them wanting to leave the sciences.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Another potential solution the University has discussed is to adopt a pass/no pass grading system."},{"type":"text","value":"<a href=\"https://edsource.org/2022/letter-grades-on-way-out-why-some-university-of-california-departments-may-use-alternatives/670994\">EdSource</a> recently reported that departments across the UC system are considering scrapping traditional letter grades in favor of a pass/no pass structure. Such departments hope the move will place less pressure on students, especially first-year STEM majors, to earn high marks, further encouraging them to pursue their intended major."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"The system itself is not providing the kind of support and resources they need so that all students can achieve equally and equitably.”\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Aside from large-scale University initiatives, students see alternative ways departments can improve lower division classes that deter STEM majors. Landis noted that courses not based on exams can make the learning process more enjoyable."},{"type":"text","value":"“In the courses I had that weren’t exam-based, I often did more work and felt less stress because I struggled a lot with test anxiety,” Landis said. “It’s another one of those things that tends to be more prevalent in certain demographics that are not well represented.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Despite the successes of some courses and UCLA initiatives in creating a more inclusive environment, overarching issues still cause students to pursue other fields. While students such as Abumansour switched majors because they wanted to explore a different passion, other students such as Li ultimately made the decision to change fields of study, and desired careers, because of a lack of academic support. For such students, Landis said, increasing professor support would greatly impact their experience in STEM."},{"type":"text","value":"“Just having accountability in teaching would do so much to help underrepresented people,” Landis said. “Because the more resources there are, the better people are going to do.”"}]}},"pageContext":{"term":"spring22","slug":"stemretention"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}