STEM Career as a Pathway: Stability and Dynamics of Students’ STEM Occupational Intention After High School

This study leverages data from a nationally representative longitudinal survey of high school students to explore the stability and shifts in their STEM occupational intentions from high school (2012) to three years post-graduation (2016). Adopting the metaphor of STEM career as a pathway, we classified individuals into four categories — STEM intenders, STEM leavers, STEM newcomers, and non-STEM intenders — based on their occupational intentions reported in 2012 and 2016. Through multinomial logistic regression, we analyzed the factors influencing the stability or dynamics in students’ STEM occupational intentions. Our findings illuminate the bidirectional dynamics in students’ STEM career intentions post-high school, highlighting the influential role of math and science identity in sustaining these intentions. Additionally, interest in STEM majors at the onset of postsecondary education and experiences in STEM-related work were significant predictors of the continuity and emergence of STEM occupational intentions. The study advocates for a shift from the traditional leaky pipeline metaphor to a more nuanced pathways perspective, encouraging researchers, educators, and policymakers in STEM fields to adapt their practices, programs, and policies to support a more inclusive and supportive framework for diverse STEM career pathways.