Faculty Perceptions on STEM Success Skills Needed in STEM+C Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Focus Group Study

Introduction 

There is a dearth of studies directly investigating faculty perceptions of the skills needed to succeed in science, technology, engineering, math and computing (STEM+C) undergraduate degree programs in the United States (U.S.) Considering that faculty perspectives of STEM success skills impact students’ outcomes in STEM fields, research in this area is essential for improving students’ K-20 STEM+C persistence. This study examines faculty perceptions about skills needed for students to persist in K-16 STEM+C education at a large public institution situated in Texas which has one of largest K-12 student populations in the US. 

Goals and Methods  

This qualitative study is part of a larger mixed-methods project. In this phase of the study, eight focus groups were conducted to collect data from 27 faculty members. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were used during discussions that lasted 90 minutes. Using NVivo for data analysis, the researchers employed a six-step thematic analysis process and a deductive-inductive approach to better understand faculty perspectives. The initial codebook was developed using Ashford-Hanserd’s ACCEYSS Model and inductive codes were then added to further identify STEM success skills observed in the data.  

Results 

Preliminary results based on the initial descriptive analysis of the data collected from STEM faculty revealed the following six STEM success skills in order of prevalence: math, study, communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and time management skills. These results indicate students need both foundational STEM knowledge and soft skills to persist in undergraduate STEM+C programs. 

Conclusion 

This research addresses a significant gap in literature by providing the perspectives of faculty regarding STEM success skills needed for success in undergraduate STEM programs in Texas. Findings from this study will help inform future studies, as well as guide and strengthen programs and policies designed to prepare middle and high school youth to pursue undergraduate STEM+C degrees.