Content area
Abstract
Universities contribute to economic growth and national competitiveness by equipping students with higher-order thinking and academic skills. Despite large investments in university science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, little is known about how the skills of STEM undergraduates compare across countries and by institutional selectivity. Here, we provide direct evidence on these issues by collecting and analysing longitudinal data on tens of thousands of computer science and electrical engineering students in China, India, Russia and the United States. We find stark differences in skill levels and gains among countries and by institutional selectivity. Compared with the United States, students in China, India and Russia do not gain critical thinking skills over four years. Furthermore, while students in India and Russia gain academic skills during the first two years, students in China do not. These gaps in skill levels and gains provide insights into the global competitiveness of STEM university students across nations and institutional types.
This large-scale study tracing tens of thousands of university students in China, India, Russia and the United States finds significant differences in skill levels and gains among countries.
Details
; Liu, Ou Lydia 2
; Li, Guirong 3 ; Kardanova Elena 4
; Chirikov Igor 5
; Hu Shangfeng 6 ; Yu Ningning 7
; Ma, Liping 8 ; Guo Fei 9
; Beteille Tara 10 ; Tognatta Namrata 10 ; Gu, Lin 2
; Ling Guangming 2
; Federiakin Denis 4
; Wang, Huan 11
; Khanna Saurabh 11
; Bhuradia Ashutosh 11
; Shi Zhaolei 12
; Li, Yanyan 3 1 Stanford University, Graduate School of Education, Stanford, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956); Stanford University, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956)
2 Educational Testing Service, Princeton, USA (GRID:grid.286674.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9051)
3 Henan University, International Center for Action Research on Education, School of Education, Henan, China (GRID:grid.256922.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9139 560X)
4 National Research University Higher School of Economics, Institute of Education, Moscow, Russia (GRID:grid.410682.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0578 2005)
5 National Research University Higher School of Economics, Institute of Education, Moscow, Russia (GRID:grid.410682.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 0578 2005); University of California Berkeley, Center for Studies in Higher Education, Goldman School of Public Policy, Berkeley, USA (GRID:grid.47840.3f) (ISNI:0000 0001 2181 7878)
6 Sichuan Normal University, Faculty of Education, Sichuan, China (GRID:grid.412600.1) (ISNI:0000 0000 9479 9538)
7 University of Jinan, Institute of Higher Education Research, Jinan, China (GRID:grid.454761.5)
8 Peking University, Graduate School of Education, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.11135.37) (ISNI:0000 0001 2256 9319)
9 Tsinghua University, Institute of Education, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.12527.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 0662 3178)
10 World Bank, Washington, USA (GRID:grid.431778.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 0482 9086)
11 Stanford University, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956)
12 Stanford University, Graduate School of Education, Stanford, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956)