The voice of first-year students from six countries: evaluation of their experiences in higher scientific and engineering studies

Abstract

This paper presents the students' evaluation of their first-year experiences in a higher education career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in six Latin countries. The aim is to provide evidence-based data about the importance of the influencing factors on the retention of higher education STEM courses. The students answered the questionnaire of the IRIS (Interests and Recruitment in Science) project, and the paper analyses the students' perceptions about college experiences, fulfilment of expectations, and appreciation of academic achievements. The findings show the highest and lowest influential factors, the national profiles across the six countries and the gender differences; there are many significant differences among countries as well as some differences between men and women. The implications of the results on the orientation of institutional policies for improving the recruitment, the retention (avoiding drop out) and the gender equity in higher education STEM courses are discussed.

Keywords:
Higher education; Scientific careers; Students' experiences; Gender equity; Retention policies