Participation in Undergraduate Research Reduces Equity Gaps in STEM Graduation Rates
Heather Haeger1, Elia Hilda Bueno2, Quentin Sedlacek3
1STEM Learning Center, Educational Policy Studies and Practices, and.
CBE Life Sciences Education
|February 2, 2024
Summary
Undergraduate research participation significantly boosts college graduation rates for all students. This practice also halves educational equity gaps in 4-year graduation and closes them entirely in 6 years.
Area of Science:
- Higher Education
- Educational Equity
- STEM Education
Background:
- Many students, particularly those from marginalized groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), do not complete their college degrees.
- Significant disparities exist in college completion rates among different student populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if undergraduate research participation improves college graduation likelihood.
- To determine if undergraduate research can reduce educational equity gaps in college completion.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from six public U.S. universities (N = 120,308 students).
- Employed Propensity Score Matching to create a comparable control group.
- Conducted logistic regressions to analyze 4- and 6-year graduation rates and equity gaps for undergraduate researchers in STEM (n = 2727).
Main Results:
- Students in undergraduate research were twice as likely to graduate in 4 years and over 10 times as likely to graduate in 6 years.
- Equity gaps in 4-year graduation rates for students of color, low-income, and first-generation students were reduced by half.
- These equity gaps were eliminated entirely for undergraduate researchers at the 6-year mark.
Conclusions:
- Undergraduate research is a powerful intervention for enhancing student success and college completion.
- Implementing undergraduate research can effectively close persistent educational equity gaps.
- This practice offers a viable strategy for improving overall graduation rates in higher education, especially within STEM fields.
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