Encouraging Minority Students to Pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Careers: A Briefing Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights Held in Washington, DC.

摘要

The Commission held a briefing entitled, Encouraging Minority Students to Pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Careers. In particular, the Commission examined why minority college students who begin their college studies intending to major in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) leave these disciplines in disproportionate numbers before graduation. Of particular interest to the Commission on this occasion was the mismatch hypothesis. The mismatch hypothesis holds that students whose academic credentials are significantly different from the average student in the class may learn less than they would have learned in a class in which their academic credentials matched those of the average student. Mismatch may be positive or negative. Students who are positively mismatched that is, their academic credentials significantly exceed those of their peers may not be sufficiently challenged by the material. As a result, they may become bored or disengaged. Students who are negatively mismatched--that is, their academic credentials are significantly below those of their peers may feel overwhelmed by the speed at which difficult material is being taught. They may get lost--even though they could have mastered the material had it only been taught at a slower rate.