Can a Merit-Based Scholarship Program Increase Science and Engineering Baccalaureates?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the following question: To what extent would a nationally competitive scholarship program increase science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree awards to our “best and brightest”? This inquiry is prompted by a 2006 report of a National Aca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the education of the gifted 2008-07, Vol.31 (3), p.322-337
Main Authors: Baker, Joe G., Finn, Michael G.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The purpose of this paper is to investigate the following question: To what extent would a nationally competitive scholarship program increase science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree awards to our “best and brightest”? This inquiry is prompted by a 2006 report of a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” which proposed a national STEM scholarship program to improve United States competitiveness. Using the Department of Education National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS-88), high school graduates from the class of 1992 who would potentially win such a scholarship were identified using ACT/SAT/AP test scores, grade point averages (GPA) and class standing, high school classes completed, and science fair participation. NELS-88 college transcript data indicated a lower bound estimate of between 60% to 80% of students likely to win the merit scholarships are already completing STEM degrees.
ISSN:0162-3532
2162-9501
DOI:10.4219/jeg-2008-766