Does Applied STEM Course Taking Link to STEM Outcomes for High School Students With Learning Disabilities?

Area of Science:

• Education
• STEM Education
• Special Education

Background:

• Federal policy promotes applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in high schools to boost student interest and persistence.
• Research has not yet explored the impact of these courses on students with learning disabilities (LDs).
• Applied STEM courses are considered a potential pathway to make STEM subjects more accessible for students with diverse learning needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the enrollment patterns of students with LDs in applied STEM courses.
• To investigate the association between applied STEM course taking and academic outcomes for students with LDs.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive study analyzing the landscape of applied STEM course taking among high school students with LDs.
• Comparison of course-taking rates between students with LDs and the general student population.

Main Results:

• Students with LDs are less likely to take applied STEM courses than their peers.
• While applied STEM courses benefit the general population, they show a unique association with advanced math and science course taking or math achievement for students with LDs.
• No evidence suggests applied STEM course taking helps close the STEM achievement gap for students with LDs.

Conclusions:

• Applied STEM courses are underutilized by students with LDs.
• The potential benefits of applied STEM courses for students with LDs may lie in their association with advanced coursework and achievement, rather than closing the overall achievement gap.
• Further research is needed to understand how to best leverage applied STEM courses for students with LDs.