04 Mar Children From Marginalized Groups Enter Kindergarten With Science Knowledge Gaps

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_22329" align="alignleft" width="160"] Dr. Paul L. Morgan[/caption] Paul L. Morgan, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Education Policy Studies Director, Educational Risk Initiative Faculty Affiliate, Child Study Center Research Associate, Population Research Institute Faculty Affiliate, Prevention Research Center The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Morgan: The U.S. is at of risk declining economic competitiveness due to its lower levels of educational attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) relative to other countries (see http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12999/rising-above-the-gathering-storm-revisited-rapidly-approaching-category-5). Concurrently, the U.S. has a well-established “leaky STEM pipeline” in which children who are racial or ethnic minorities, females, or from low income families are especially unlikely to grow up to be employed in STEM positions. Large science achievement gaps are disproportionately experienced by these same groups of children. Yet the U.S. is increasingly transitioning to a knowledge economy necessitating higher levels of scientific thinking, problem solving, and technical competency. The causes of these science achievement gaps have been poorly understood. Most of the existing empirical work on science achievement gaps has used cross-sectional designs. The samples also have largely been of older students attending middle or high schools. As a result, the early onset, over-time dynamics, and risk factors for science achievement gaps have been largely unknown. Our study helps inform policy, research, and practice by establishing that science achievement gaps emerge by the elementary grades and then largely remain stable as children continue throughout middle school. These gaps are mostly explained by children’s knowledge about their general surroundings acquired by the primary grades. Children’s reading and mathematics achievement also help to explain their science achievement, as do income inequality and school racial and income segregation. We find that children from traditionally marginalized groups (e.g., those who are Black, Hispanic, or from low-income families) are especially likely to enter school with general knowledge gaps. These same children often continue to experience science achievement gaps throughout elementary and middle school. However, factors modifiable by parents, educators, and policymakers largely explain these children’s gaps and so might be the target of early and sustained intervention efforts.