ABSTRACT
The visible role played by families in nurturing science, technology, engineering, or mathematical (STEM) talent in their children appears to vary in strength and quality. In this chapter, the authors argue that family contributions, whether overt or subtle, are universally important, and that more attention needs to be paid to how this contribution is manifested and how it can be replicated for young people who do not have access to this support. They present data generated from a large-scale, retrospective, online survey for a study funded by the US National Science Foundation. The chapter explores the association between parent/guardian variables (e.g., level of education, immigrant status, career domain) and when children first become interested in STEM, the source of their initial interest, and their eventual completion of a university degree in a STEM discipline.
