“Self-concept” of maths capacity is part of the problem

While fewer disadvantaged people enrol in university than from the overall population, the proportion of those that do who study STEM is the same as for the general population. Which isn’t bad. But what isn’t good is that just 23 per cent of women who study STEM disciplines defined as non-traditional areas for them (which qualifies them as an equity group) are employed in a course-related field by age 25.

This, and a mass of other data is in a new report for the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education by people at the Australian Council for Educational Research.*

The study uses LSAY and PISA data to look at STEM engagement by people from low SES, non-metro, first in family in HE and women in designated “non-traditional” areas of study.

The report also finds that “self-concept” of maths capacity at age 15 is a “significant predictor of STEM participation in HE for women, first in family and low SES people.

Which could be a problem for increasing women studying STEM – a recent Commonwealth report found that the number of girls who don’t think they are smart enough to study maths doubles (to 41 per cent) between 12-13 years old and 18-21s (CMM May 4).

* Julie McMillan, Sheldon Rothman, Sarah Buckley and Daniel Edwards, STEM Pathways: The impact of equity, motivation and prior achievement