When: 18th November, 12pm
Where: Zoom
Title: Quantifying and Tracking Awarding Gaps in STEM: A Robust Analytical Approach
Abstract:
Awarding gaps in STEM degrees reflect persistent socio-demographic disparities that impact the diversity and inclusivity of the UK’s future workforce. This talk presents a robust methodological framework for quantifying and tracking these awarding gaps, drawing on recent work using hierarchical logistic regression to analyse a nine-year dataset from a research-intensive UK university. By modelling the impact of factors such as prior attainment, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, and course duration, we uncover insights into the likelihood of achieving first-class degrees across different groups. Interaction term analysis further reveals the persistence of awarding gaps over time for factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and disability, with consistent disparities that underscore the need for targeted interventions. Additionally, findings indicate that students on extended degree programs exhibit higher success rates, highlighting the complex interplay of program duration and student demographics in shaping academic outcomes.
Building on these findings, the talk will explore how this approach can be extended to assess awarding gaps in physics degrees across the entire UK, providing a pathway for institutions to implement data-driven strategies to promote equity. This work underscores the importance of comprehensive, multivariate analyses in addressing systemic inequalities and advancing equity in STEM education on a national scale.
The talk is based on recent research available on arXiv and currently under review (https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.05853).