Experts believe that STEM students struggle to connect what they learn in class with what's on the ballot.
According to a report conducted by the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) at Tufts University, students in all STEM disciplines, except for agriculture, voted at below-average rates.
It’s no surprise that humanities students are statistically more likely to show up at the polls to vote than their science and mathematics peers. Students in the social sciences and humanities often discuss and learn about public policies, theories, current events, and social issues in their classes.
Meanwhile, STEM students struggle to connect some of the things they learn in class with what’s politically going on with the rest of the world.
Experts believe that a key reason for the disparity is that STEM students don’t feel like the issues on the ballot relate to their interests or careers, which is an important factor in motivating students to vote. -Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed
There’s a sense of disconnection between many STEM students and the political events happening across the country.
The focus of inquiry then becomes not how we get more students in STEM—and students in general, for that matter—to go vote, but rather how we bridge the gap between students and what’s at stake in the constantly-evolving reality they’re a part of.
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