Intending to stay: Images of scientists, attitudes toward women, and gender as influences on persistence among science and engineering majors

Exposure to positive images of scientists and engineers improves the odds of students having high degree and career aspirations, as well as a higher commitment to career. Further, positive attitudes toward gender and racial equality, as well as positive classroom experiences, also improved the odds of students’ having high degree aspirations. The article also concludes that gender may be a more important factor in explaining why some students leave their science and engineering majors than in explaining why others stay.

Download: Intending to Stay- images of scientists, attitudes toward women, and gender as influences on persistence among science and engineering majors