ABSTRACT
This essay presents a model of connected factors that alone and in combination contribute to a person's success in STEM learning. This model posits that five components – interest, motivation, self-efficacy, learning, and identity – are part of a constantly repeating Virtuous Cycle that reinforces connections between a person's cognition, affect, and behavior. In the Virtuous Cycle, various factors can serve as “on-ramps,” while lack of them might create “off-ramps” at any point in the learner's journey. The essay describes these components, on-ramps, and off-ramps while relating them to studies of amateur astronomers and an adolescent initially interested in computer coding. The social context of the learner is presented as a factor that can support or limit a person's learning pathway through the Virtuous Cycle. The essay concludes by discussing the model's limitations. Despite these limitations, the Virtuous Cycle may be valuable for raising awareness of the entire “system” of internal and external factors that drive whether someone engages or disengages in STEM learning.
