Women at the Forefront: Narratives of High-Achieving Women STEM Students Through Astin’s Student Involvement Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21454950Keywords:
High-achieving students, STEM, pandemic, student involvement, Davao City, PhilippinesAbstract
The educational system has raised growing concerns in the field of science education, particularly in relation to the learning achievement among students in the STEM strand, as the lack of experiential and focused learning has become a pressing issue in the academe. This study explores the stories of high-achieving women STEM students before and during the pandemic and aims to unearth insights from those experiences. The study utilized a qualitative design following a narrative approach to examine the three consistently top-performing STEM students. Each participant, a consistent honor student from a low-income family, underwent an in-depth interview. Using thematic analysis as a method in analyzing the data, the study exposed the following themes that strongly align with Astin's Theory of Student Involvement as they underscore students' active investment of time, energy, and commitment in their academic pursuits – persistent striving for academic excellence, navigating learning challenges in unstable learning environments, and perseverance as a coping mechanism in the face of setbacks. The findings highlight how these students navigated their studies and maintained consistent academic performance amid the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic. Each narrative provides significant insights into the perseverance and strategies of top-performing STEM students from low-income families and offers implications for schools and parents, strengthening support for students, especially in times of crisis.
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