Pre-collegiate factors contributing to the choice of a chemistry major: the role of science capital

Chemistry is a foundational discipline for many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions. In the U.S. there are too few undergraduates completing majors in chemistry to meet current and projected labor force needs. Moreover, neither the chemistry workforce nor undergraduate majors are representative of the U.S. population's demographics. There is scant research on the pre-collegiate factors that contribute to choosing a chemistry major. This paper contributes to the research record with a qualitative study that applies a science capital lens to an investigation of the pre-collegiate factors associated with majoring in chemistry. Using a set of in-depth interviews with a self-selected sample of 12 undergraduates slated to earn a BS in chemistry from one of many campuses of the University of North Carolina, this study examined students’ experiences in families, communities, and schools in the years prior to their matriculation to their college campus. Our findings are consistent with the concept of science capital, which we extend by demonstrating that successful chemistry majors have greater stores of a more specific element of the science capital framework, namely knowledge about the transferability of chemistry. The article concludes with a set of recommendations to augment secondary students’ science capital and by doing so, is likely to increase the number of undergraduates majoring in chemistry.