Identifying Key Development Stages of the STEM Career Pipeline

The development of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professionals is a key focus for STEM education and outreach programs. These efforts are critical for our society to grow and resolve problems. STEM programs service kindergarten through graduate students in the hopes of bringing STEM professionals into the workforce. As youth move through these grade levels, different influencing factors play a role in guiding these students toward a STEM career. This establishes the career pipeline within the STEM system. STEM outreach has the advantage of targeting specific grades and demographics of students through this pipeline. This work looks to explore the efforts conducted through STEM outreach to fulfill this pipeline at critical grade levels. This is accomplished by utilizing currently active STEM professionals in the workforce. A methodology to identify and characterize critical STEM development stages is presented. Based on surveys conducted with the current STEM professionals, findings are presented identifying key success indicators. These indicators are based on their personal pipeline experience in becoming a STEM professional. This work establishes stages within the STEM career pipeline. New and novel insights are gained related to changes in students mindsets toward a STEM career within the K–12 grades. Along with understanding of these mindsets the timing and rapidness of mindset shifts are detailed and provide a unique understanding of how students move through K–12 toward a STEM career. A significant finding is related to evidence that students become interested in science and engineering, can see science and engineering as an option and choose to become a scientist or engineer over a very short timeframe. Further, this shift in mindset can occur as early as kindergarten. Based on these findings changes of how current STEM outreach activities are conducted is needed to meet the students needs.