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Cited by 57Higher Education Research StudiesCareer Development and DiversityCritical Race Theory in Education

Persistence of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Fields: Are Summer Bridge Programs Sufficient?

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Ghazzawi, Dina, Pattison, Donna, Horn, Catherine·2021·Frontiers in Education
DOI 10.3389/feduc.2021.630529
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Abstract

Disparities in undergraduate STEM degree completion across different racial/ethnic groups have been a topic of increasing national concern. This study investigates the long-term outcomes of a STEM intervention program designed to increase the academic preparation, achievement and persistence of under-represented minority students.In particular, this study examines the extent to which participation in a STEM intervention program can impact the long-term persistence and graduation of first-time in college under-represented minority students. Using discrete-time competing risks analysis, results demonstrated that participants of the intervention program had a lower probability of drop out and higher probability of persisting in a STEM field of study compared to non-participants of the program. Additionally, descriptive results demonstrated that participants of the STEM intervention program had higher rates of graduation in any field compared to non-participants of the program, while program participation was not a significant predictor of six-year graduation. Findings highlight the importance of early academic preparation in Calculus and total credit accumulation to student success outcomes of URM students enrolled in STEM fields. Recommendations from this study focus on early intervention efforts, particularly in the areas of mathematics, that ensure URM students are adequately prepared with the skills needed to succeed in a STEM field of study.

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  • A STEM Enrichment summer bridge early intervention program was effective in enhancing retention rates and academic performance among underrepresented Pell-eligible students.

    “Ghazzawi et al. (2021) used a rigorous propensity score matching methodology and found that a STEM Enrichment summer bridge early intervention program was effective in enhancing the retention rates and academic performance among underrepresented Pell-eligible students.”

    From The Importance of STEM Sense of Belonging and Academic Hope in Enhancing Persistence for Low-Income, Underrepresented STEM Students (2024) · cites this paper as Ghazzawi et al. (2021)

    The Data Analysis section reports propensity-score matching, and the Competing Risks Analysis finds lower dropout and greater STEM persistence among SEP summer bridge participants. However, the paper does not establish that the program improved academic performance: GPA was used as an analysis variable, not reported as an improved outcome. The passages also do not identify the studied students as Pell-eligible. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ghazzawi, D., Pattison, D., & Horn, C.
Affiliations
University of Houston (US)
Corresponding author
Ghazzawi, Dina
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Education
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2021-07-05
Volume
6
ISSN
2504-284X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/feduc.2021.630529
OpenAlex
W3191401404
Cited by
57
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1
FWCI
13.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Science Foundation (1407736, 1911310, 0903948)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Critical Race Theory in Education
Keywords
underrepresented minority students, STEM persistence, summer bridge programs, first-generation college students, university dropout, graduation, racial and ethnic disparities, calculus preparation, credit accumulation, mathematics achievement

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