Accidental Scientists: How Undergraduate Research in Political Science Can Help Repair the “Leaky Pipeline” in STEM Education
Accidental Scientists: How Undergraduate Research in Political Science Can Help Repair the “Leaky Pipeline” in STEM Educationby lisa muller, Macalester College
Education advocates have lamented a “leaky pipeline” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which is causing students, especially minorities and women, to drop out of STEM as they move through the education system. Masu. This article defines empirical political science as a STEM field and argues that undergraduate research in political science may help patch this leaky pipeline and expand access to scientific skills and habits of mind. I’m proposing something. I will elaborate on three rationales that support my argument. (1) Political science is a relatively diverse field of his STEM. (2) Universities encourage students to think like (political) scientists. (3) Students often encounter political science research opportunities for the first time during their undergraduate years, which is an opportunity for instructors to “catch” students selected from her STEM after high school graduation. I use registry data, archival documents, John Dewey’s theories, and testimony from former undergraduate researchers to substantiate my claims. We also recommend ways the Department of Political Science can provide meaningful STEM education by strengthening research programs.
