{"id":18856,"date":"2017-01-04T07:03:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T12:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/among-high-school-seniors-interest-in-science-varies-by-race-ethnicity\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:44:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:44:07","slug":"among-high-school-seniors-interest-in-science-varies-by-race-ethnicity","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/01\/04\/among-high-school-seniors-interest-in-science-varies-by-race-ethnicity\/","title":{"rendered":"Among high school seniors, interest in science varies by race, ethnicity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Census<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo by Bill O’Leary\/The Washington Post<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n\n

A majority of high school seniors in the U.S. say they enjoy science and around four-in-ten (44%) would like to have a job in the field, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). These sentiments, however, tend to vary by race and ethnicity \u2013 a pattern that also is reflected in American students\u2019 test scores in science.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Overall, 71% of 12th-grade students agree with the statement, \u201cI like science.\u201d While majorities of all major racial and ethnic groups report having a fondness for science, Asian and Pacific Islander high school seniors are the most likely group to say this, while blacks are the least.<\/p>\n\n

Similar racial and ethnic differences emerge when 12th-graders are asked whether they want a career in science. Six-in-ten Asian and Pacific Islander high school seniors say they would like a job that involves science and 64% say it is important that they do well in the subject to get the kind of job they want. By comparison, 45% of whites, 40% of Hispanics and 39% of blacks say they want a science-related job, and no more than half of these respective groups agree that they need to do well in science to get the kind of job they desire.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Recent studies<\/a> paint a mixed picture of how U.S. students \u2013 not just high school seniors \u2013 are faring in science. Fourth- and eighth-graders, for example, have made gains since 2009, but test scores among 12th-graders have remained flat, according to the NAEP. And while some racial and ethnic performance gaps<\/a> have narrowed over time, black and Hispanic students still score considerably lower than their Asian and Pacific Islander and white peers, regardless of grade level.<\/p>\n\n

In recent years, there has been attention paid to racial and gender disparities in jobs tied to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Several industries, such as technology<\/a> and medicine<\/a>, are openly looking for ways to diversify their ranks.<\/p>\n\n

Some experts have traced<\/a>\u00a0the relatively low share<\/a> of blacks and Hispanics working in STEM professions to differences that emerge at an early age, and NAEP\u2019s figures suggest that racial and ethnic differences in wanting a career in science may emerge at the high school level or earlier. For example, just over a third (37%) of black eighth-graders agree they would like a job that involves science, compared with 44% of whites and 55% of students of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that students\u2019 fondness of science can be affected by many factors that are often interconnected with race and ethnicity. Those who voice a greater interest in the subject and a desire to work in the field tend to have higher science scores. Parental involvement, as well as a parents\u2019 level of educational attainment, may be linked<\/a> to how well children do on science assessments. And the availability of advanced science courses<\/a> and socioeconomic factors<\/a> also may play a role in cultivating a student\u2019s interest and understanding of science.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Asian and Pacific Islander high school seniors are the most likely to say they like science, while blacks are the least 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