Abstract
This study sought to assess the role of ethnicity in both initial choice of, and persistence in, science majors. Standardized test scores, high school records, initial concentration preference, college grades, and final majors of all the white, Asian, black, and Hispanic students who enrolled in 1988 at four highly selective institutions provided the database. Despite relative deficits in scores on measures of preparation and developed ability, blacks entered college with a strong interest in majoring in science. Black students interested in science also suffered the highest attrition from it; Asians were lowest, with whites and Hispanics near the average attrition of 40%. Ethnicity did not add significantly to ability and achievement variables in predicting attrition from science. The results are discussed in terms of two main issues: first, the effect of different standards of selection for the various groups on their success in science curricula; and second, the relevance of various well-known intervention strategies to the problems of minority attrition in science in highly selective institutions.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Astin, A. W., and Astin, H. S. (1993).Undergraduate Science Education: The Impact of Different College Environments on the Educational Pipeline in the Sciences. Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.
Barron's Profiles of American Colleges, 16th ed. (1988). New York: Barron's Educational Series.
Bonsangue, M. V. (1994). An efficacy study of the calculus workshop model.Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education 1: 1–19.
Chipman, S. F., and Thomas, V. G. (1987). The participation of women and minorities in mathematical, scientific, and technical fields.Review of Research in Higher Education 14: 387–430.
College Board (1988a).College-Bound Seniors: 1988. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
College Board (1988b).1988 Advanced Placement Program: National Summary Reports. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
College Board (1988c).The College Handbook, 26th ed. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
Culotta, E. (1992). Black colleges cultivate scientists.Science 258: 1216–1218.
Dunteman, G. H., Wisenbaker, J., and Taylor, M. E. (1979).Race and Sex Differences in College Science Program Participation. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.
Elliott, R., and Strenta, A. C. (1988). Effects of improving the reliability of the GPA on prediction generally and on comparative predictions for gender and race particularly.Journal of Educational Measurement 25: 333–347.
Fullilove, R. E., and Treisman, P. U. (1990). Mathematics achievement among African American undergraduates at the University of California, Berkeley: An evaluation of the Mathematics Workshop Program.Journal of Negro Education 59: 463–478.
Gibbons, A. (1992). Minority programs that get high marks.Science 258: 1190–1196.
Green, K. C. (1989). A profile of undergraduates in the sciences.American Scientist 77: 475–480.
Hewitt, N. M., and Seymour, E. (1991).Factors Contributing to High Attrition Rates Among Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Undergraduate Majors. Report to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Boulder, CO: Bureau of Sociological Research, University of Colorado.
Hilton, T. L., Hsia, J., Solorzano, D. G., and Benton, N. L. (1989).Persistence in Science of High Ability Minority Students. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.
Hrabowski, F. A., and Maton, K. I. (1995). Enhancing the success of African-American students in the sciences: Freshman year outcomes.School Science and Mathematics 95: 19–27.
Hume, R. (1994).The Challenge Program: A Review of Student Retention and Academic Performance. Georgia Institute of Technology Office of Minority Educational Development.
Humphreys, S., and Freeland, R. (1992).Retention in Engineering: A Study of Freshman Cohorts. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley.
Manis, J. D., Thomas, N. G., Sloat, B. F., and Davis, C. (1989).An Analysis of Factors Affecting Choices of Majors in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Continuing Education of Women, University of Michigan.
Massey, W. (1992). A success story and decades of disappointment.Science 258: 1200–1201.
Mercer, J. (June 22, 1994). Guiding black prodigies.Chronicle of Higher Education, pp. A22, A24.
National Science Board (1993).Science and Engineering Indicators—1993. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (NSB 93-1).
National Science Foundation (1990).Future Scarcities of Scientists and Engineers: Problems and Solutions. Washington, DC: National Science Foundation.
Oakes, J. (1990). Opportunities, achievement, and choice: Women and minority students in science and mathematics.Review of Research in Higher Education 16: 153–222.
Phillips, T. R. (1991).ABET/EXXON Minority Engineering Student Achievement Profile. New York: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.
Ramist, L. (1984). Predictive validity of the ATP tests. In T. F. Donlon (ed.),The College Board Technical Handbook for the Scholastic Aptitude and Achievement Tests (ch. 8, pp. 141–170). New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
Ramist, L., Lewis, C., and McCamley-Jenkins, L. (1994).Student Group Differences in Predicting College Grades: Sex, Language, and Ethnic Groups. New York: College Entrance Examination Board (Report No. 93-1).
Smothers, R. (June 29, 1994). To raise the performance of minorities, a college increased its standards.New York Times, p. A21.
Stevens, J. (1992).Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Strenta, A. C., Elliott, R., Matier, M., Scott, J., and Adair, R. (1993).Choosing and Leaving Science in Highly Selective Institutions. Final Report to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hanover, NH: Department of Psychology, Dartmouth College.
Strenta, A. C., Elliott, R., Adair, R., Matier, M., and Scott, J. (1994). Choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions.Research in Higher Education 35: 513–547.
Suter, L. (ed.) (1993).Indicators of Science and Mathematics Education—1993. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office (NSF 93–95).
Thurgood, D. H., and Clarke, J. E. (1995).Summary Report 1993: Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities. Washington, DC: The National Academy Press.
Tobias, S. (1990).They're Not Dumb, They're Different: Stalking the Second Tier. Tucson, AZ: Research Corporation.
Treisman, U. (1992). Studying students studying calculus: A look at the lives of minority mathematics students in college.College Mathematics Journal 23: 362–372.
White, P. E. (1992).Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering: An Update. Washington, DC: National Science Foundation.
Willingham, W. W. (1985).Success in College: The Role of Personal Qualities and Academic Ability. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
Wilson, K. M. (1980). The performance of minority students beyond the freshman year: Testing a “late-bloomer” hypothesis in one state university setting.Research in Higher Education 13: 23–47.
Wilson, K. M. (1981). Analyzing the long-term performance of minority and nonminority students: A tale of two studies.Research in Higher Education 15: 351–375.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elliott, R., Strenta, A.C., Adair, R. et al. The role of ethnicity in choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions. Res High Educ 37, 681–709 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01792952
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01792952