Parental involvement improves students’ STEM test scores, heightens career interests
A multi-decade study shows a 12 percent increase on the math and science ACT for high school students in Wisconsin whose parents were provided with information on how to effectively convey the importance of STEM to their children, according to the UChicago News. The report also finds that the same students were more likely to take high school STEM classes. The researchers highlight that the increased STEM coursework in high school led to increases in college STEM class enrollment and careers.
In the study, Utility-Value Intervention with Parents Increases Students' STEM Preparation and Career Pursuit, researchers from multiple institutions of higher education provided Wisconsin parents with informational materials that would help the parents talk to their high school aged children on the relevance of STEM fields. The informational materials covered issues such as the role of math and science in how cell phones work or how the subjects factor into specific careers.
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