How do high school teachers influence STEM pipeline leakage? An in-depth qualitative study

Abstract

The shortage of professionals in the STEM sector has sparked many studies on the factors influencing high school students’ educational choices. What causes these students to discontinue the STEM educational career and “leak out of the STEM pipeline”? The present study investigates one – less-researched – factor in particular: the role of teachers in the decision-making process of Dutch students at the moment of their subject cluster choice in the ninth grade and their subsequent study choice. To this purpose, in-depth semi-structured interviews are conducted with twelve randomly selected first-year tertiary students from a university in the Netherlands. These students reported that influencing factors, such as whether a student is interested or talented in the STEM subject, are more important than their attitude towards the STEM teacher. However, when students already have an interest and/or talent for STEM subjects, the STEM teacher is repeatedly reported to catalyse their educational choice. For this reason, this study suggests that to stimulate those students who initially show talent and interest in STEM might be the most effective action for STEM teachers to counteract STEM pipeline leakage. Suggestions for further research are given.