Are Minority Students Ready for STEM?

In today’s world, when information technologies are growing at incredible speed, professions in science, technologies, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are invaluable. These fields are used to address some of the biggest challenges faced globally as well as drive change. However, there’s a growing concern: underrepresented minority students like African Americans, Native Americans, or Hispanics / Latinos are not placed in classes that prepare them for STEM careers. In the process, many of these students do not have the proper courses and adequate direction to point them in the right direction for these industries. This raises a key question: Are under-represented minority students (African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos) being placed in courses that will prepare them for Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers?  Are they prepared to take these courses? This is why it is necessary to reveal why such a problem exists and how to avoid disparities in STEM education and open the opportunities for all students to succeed in science and technology.

Understanding the Current Landscape

Underrepresented minority students are often absent in STEM fields even though many of them are part of the population in the United States. As postulated in different research done by the National Science Foundation, the number of such groups participating in STEM courses is extremely low. For example, the Academic Empathy Report indicates that even though students of color, such as Hispanics/Latinos and Blacks, make up a significant proportion of learners, their representation in STEM careers is still low. This is the case because of systematized exclusion, educational disadvantages, and no encouragement to devote oneself to such invaluable areas.

Table: Black and Hispanic workers are still underrepresented in STEM fields

Barriers to Access

This research identifies some of the reasons that hinder underrepresented minority students from placing into STEM courses. One is that many school systems reflect educational disparities that are present in most classrooms and learning environments. Such students end up enrolling in low-performing schools that offer few resources, such as enrollment and tutorials in advanced courses in mathematics and science. It is for this reason that the lack of preparation for the challenge that a STEM course at the collegiate level presents is not far-fetched. Furthermore, students may need more support and opportunities concerning STEM fields in their early learning time. Should a student fail to get an early intervention, they may not get the necessary academic needs to be in STEM courses in high school and beyond. In addition, there are few role models and mentors in these fields, and even more students need someone to look up to.

Are They Prepared?

There is more than one aspect of preparation. It may be, therefore, that underrepresented minority students seeking STEM education possess the ability to succeed in STEM, but several factors make them less prepared. A higher percentage of students have good mathematical and scientific potential, but the conditions often do not let them reveal it. These students have been proven to perform well in STEM on condition that they are given the necessary materials, time, and encouragement. They can be helped by measures that provide the opportunity to take additional classes, attend other programs after classes, and be mentored on the related things that influence their preparedness. Furthermore, the programs meant to interest and prepare students at a younger level to pursue STEM can be effective in building confidence (Bhatti, 2021).

The Importance of Inclusive Curriculum

To address the issue of preparing students from underrepresented minorities for STEM, it is advisable to design an adequate curriculum that would make sense to culture-sensitive students. Part of this process is incorporating culturally appropriate pedagogy and lesson content with which current students of color are familiar.

Fig: This chart organizes the data for All Jobs and All STEM Jobs by ethnic group

Students who recognize themselves in curricular materials understand and are inspired to engage with STEM-related content and careers. Furthermore, knowledge and experiences in STEM subjects may be integrated into contextually meaningful uses in the classroom. When teachers demonstrate how STEM can solve some of the social problems important to minorities, children will be encouraged to work in STEM disciplines (Deming, 2018).

The Relative Importance of Guidance and Sponsorship

 Research shows that mentorship is effectively instrumental in the readiness of underrepresented minority students for STEM careers. Youth should be linked to careers with professionals who have conquered the odds of STEM education and practice. These mentors can guide the students on various areas of their concern, on choosing courses, achieving specific academic targets, and what it takes to be a professional in these areas. Additionally, society, schools, and families have the role of establishing and maintaining cultures that support and encourage students to work toward their dreams. This can be done through the clubs, organizations, and programs that are initiated after school and focus on STEM (Miller, 2018). This way, students gather like-minded people who contribute to the formation of the foundation that is necessary to overcome obstacles in STEM-centered courses and programs.

Conclusion

It is also undeniable that underrepresented minority students (African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos) are NOT being placed in courses that will prepare them for Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.  Despite all these concerns, these students will encounter challenges that negate their chances of placement in STEM courses. Most importantly, they should be given a chance to be trained and prepared for success. Focusing on equality of education can encourage the input of diverse curricula. Once we have a matching of underrepresented minority students with mentors, they could easily excel in STEM. The students are indeed so well-rounded, but it's also important to remember that investing in them is good for the STEM workforce as a whole. The STEM community needs to be more open and varied because a broad STEM community is better able to solve society's toughest problems.

This has to change: no student from any background should be deprived of the chance of achieving a proper STEM career. Altogether, it is possible to raise the next generation of innovators, analytical thinkers, and leaders who will define the world.

References

·       Bhatti, H. A., 2021. Toward “Inclusifying” the underrepresented minority in STEM education research.

·       Deming, D. J. &. N. K. L., 2018. STEM careers and technological change (Vol. 24, No. 25065, pp. 1-67). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.. s.l.:s.n.

·       Kier, M. W. B. M. R. O. J. W. &. A. J. L., 2014. The development of the STEM career interest survey (STEM-CIS)..

·       Miller, K. S. G. &. S. P., 2018. The influence of students’ participation in STEM competitions on their interest in STEM careers.

·       Wang, M. T. &. D. J., 2013. Motivational pathways to STEM career choices: Using expectancy–value perspective to understand individual and gender differences in STEM fields..