STEM participation (% STEM Courses) and STEM achievement (STEM Grades) are largely distinct outcomes, correlating less than 5% shared variance¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 The zero-order correlation between % STEM Courses and STEM Grades was non-significant (r = .119, p = .107); adjusted estimates reached at most r = .191. → Daker 2021

Evidence¶

Daker 2021¶

Daker, R.J., Gattas, S.U., Sokolowski, H.M., Green, A.E., & Lyons, I.M. (2021). First-year students' math anxiety predicts STEM avoidance and underperformance throughout university, independently of math ability. npj Science of Learning 6:17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00095-7

q3 · i1 · associational · r2

Correlational analysis in the same 183-student sample: zero-order correlation r = .119 (p = .107); partial correlation controlling for Semesters Absent r = .191 (p = .010). The article concludes the two outcomes are "distinct", justifying separate models; the largest printed effect size is r = .191.

"even the highest of these estimates suggests that less than 5% of the variance in one STEM outcome can be explained by the other. This provides evidence that STEM participation and STEM achievement are distinct"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• First-semester math anxiety uniquely predicts a reduction in the proportion of STEM courses students take over four years of university, controlling for math ability and other covariates — related
• Of the Big Five personality traits, only conscientiousness (r = .22) and openness (r = .13) correlate appreciably with mathematics achievement — related
• Kindergarten predictors correlate robustly with grade 1 math outcomes, weakest for computation — related