WHY (AND HOW) THEY DECIDE TO LEAVE: A GROUNDED THEORY ANALYSIS OF STEM ATTRITION AT A LARGE PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY
Open Access
Author:
Minutello, Michael Francis
Graduate Program:
Higher Education
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
May 16, 2016
Committee Members:
Dorothy H Evensen, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Dorothy H Evensen, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Neal H Hutchens, Committee Member Rayne Audrey Sperling, Committee Member Robert James Stevens, Outside Member
Keywords:
STEM;attrition; grounded theory
Abstract:
A grounded theory investigation of STEM attrition was conducted that describes and explains why undergraduates at a large Mid-Atlantic research university decided to leave their initial STEM majors to pursue non-STEM courses of study. Participants ultimately decided to leave their initial STEM majors because they were able to locate preferable non-STEM courses of study that did not present the same kinds of obstacles they had encountered in their original STEM majors. Grounded theory data analysis revealed participants initially enrolled in STEM majors with tenuous motivation that did not withstand the various obstacles that were present in introductory STEM coursework. Obstacles that acted as demotivating influences and prompted participants to locate alternative academic pathways include the following: (1.) disengaging curricula; (2.) competitive culture; (3.) disappointing grades; (4.) demanding time commitments; and (5.) unappealing career options. Once discouraged from continuing along their initial STEM pathways, participants then employed various strategies to discover suitable non-STEM majors that would allow them to realize their intrinsic interests and extrinsic goals. Participants were largely satisfied with their decisions to leave STEM and have achieved measures of personal satisfaction and professional success.