STEM graduates and secondary school curriculum: does early exposure to science matter?

Marta De Philippis

No 1107, Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) from Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area

Abstract: This paper focuses on students at the very top of the ability distribution and explores whether strengthening high school science curricula affects their choice of enrolling in and completing a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) degree at university. The paper solves the standard endogeneity problems by exploiting the different timing in the implementation of a reform that encouraged secondary schools in the UK to offer more science to high ability 14- year-olds. Taking five more hours per week of science in secondary school increases the probability of enrolling in a STEM degree by 1.2 percentage points and the probability of graduating in these degrees by 3 percentage points. The results mask substantial gender heterogeneity: while girls are as willing as boys to take advanced science in secondary school - when offered -, the results on pure STEM degrees at university are entirely driven by boys. Girls are encouraged to choose more challenging subjects, but still opt for the most female-dominated ones.

Keywords: STEM; high school curriculum; field of study; gender bias (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I23 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-eur, nep-gen and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: STEM Graduates and Secondary School Curriculum: Does Early Exposure to Science Matter? (2023)
Working Paper: STEM graduates and secondary school curriculum: does early exposure to science matter? (2016)
Working Paper: STEM graduates and secondary school curriculum: does early exposure to science matter? (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bdi:wptemi:td_1107_17

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