Impact of Work-Study on Career Skills and Academic Success of Women and Minorities in Undergraduate STEM Programs by RC Patterson
Introduction Women face unique challenges in postsecondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs (Charlesworth & Banaji, 2019; Perna et al., 2009). Barriers to success include inadequate academic preparation by elementary and secondary schools, inadequate attention to the psychological barriers that negatively impact persistence, and inadequate financial support from colleges and universities (Perna et al., 2009; Makarova., 2018). One way to address these issues is work-study. Female students tend to persist more effectively in environments where they are given support from peers, teachers, and the family and are supported financially by their institution and family (Perna et al., 2009; Szelényi & Inkelas, 2011; Inkelas, 2011). Students paid to be teaching assistants and research assistants, will be categorized as work-study. If the U.S. is to be competitive in the global economy, it must increase its production of workers skilled in ...