Defining the Divide: The Impacts of Geographical and Socioeconomic Gaps in STEM Education

‍By Scott Reddiex MRSV
Editor-in-Chief, Science Victoria

While online learning and regional training options continue to improve, your experience engaging with STEM education will be different depending on your location in Victoria. It might seem an obvious statement to make, but what does it actually mean for students? How does it relate to skills and jobs around our state?

Geographic, economic, and cultural divides

Students from schools in rural and regional Victoria, and low-SES (socioeconomic status) areas of metropolitan Melbourne, have significantly lower education-related engagement and outcomes compared to students in high-SES schools in metro Melbourne.^1,2,3 Put simply, it means less schooling, and lower scores.

These students are less likely to complete year 12, and those who do are one-third as likely to enrol at a university.^1,4

You might have heard the idea that ‘a smart and/or rich child will do well at any school’. While it ignores the impact of schools and caregivers, it also doesn’t reflect the reality: students from high-SES backgrounds who attend low-SES schools have poorer educational outcomes compared to those attending high-SES schools.^4,5

A student’s aspirations to engage with higher education are shaped by their access to economic and cultural resources, as well as previous experiences of success in education.^5,6 Additionally, students attending high-SES schools have greater access to economic and cultural resources than those in low-SES schools.^6,7

These ‘economic’ resources are self-explanatory: more money, and everything that comes with it. However, the ‘cultural’ resources in the home and in the classroom are more complex. They include factors like whether a family member previously engaged with higher education, whether students have a template for success (like a role model) with a particular pathway, and even how knowledge is valued in a home or a community.⁶

The combination of economic and cultural resources at schools can mean more extra-curricular opportunities relating to particular career pathways and interest areas, and engagement of alumni as role models. At home, it also means understanding the relevance of education, and having the ability to give it the time needed.

Implications for jobs of the future

The National Skills Commission has highlighted the importance of tertiary education and STEM skills, reporting that more than 90% of new jobs will require post-high school qualifications.⁸ Additionally, the number of jobs that utilise STEM skills is projected to grow more than twice as fast as non-STEM occupations.

In other words, jobs will increasingly require more than just high school completion, and more jobs will need workers to use STEM skills.^8,9,10

As such, students afforded fewer opportunities to engage with and understand STEM skills are at a disadvantage compared to those with a solid foundation in this area.^9,10

Together, these data highlight the difficulties that these students face with engagement with and success in both secondary and tertiary education, and the value of providing these cohorts with opportunities. Investing in schools, teachers, and communities. Ensuring education is accessible, affordable, and meaningful for all students. Reducing the gaps between outcomes based on geography and socio-economic status. Showing young people the many different educational and employment pathways that they can follow.

You don’t get a choice on where you are born. But that shouldn’t mean that STEM education is also not a choice.

References:

1. Department of Education and Training. (2022). On Track 2022: Destinations of Victorian School Leavers. www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/research/OnTrack2022/2022_Snapshot-Summary-Report.pdf
   
2. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2023). School Profile 2023. acara.edu.au/contact-us/acara-data-access
   
3. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority [VCAA]. (2023). Senior Secondary Completing and Achievement Information 2023. vcaa.vic.edu.au/administration/research-and-statistics/Pages/SeniorSecondaryCompletion.aspx
   
4. Chesters, J. (2018). Alleviating or exacerbating disadvantage: does school attended mediate the association between family background and educational attainment? Journal of Education Policy, 34(3), 331–350. doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2018.1488001
   
5. Chesters, J., & Cuervo, H. (2021). (In)equality of opportunity: educational attainments of young people from rural, regional and urban Australia. The Australian Educational Researcher, 49. doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00432-0
   
6. Bok, J. (2010). The capacity to aspire to higher education: “It’s like making them do a play without a script.” Critical Studies in Education, 51(2), 163–178. doi.org/10.1080/17508481003731042
   
7. Triventi, M., Kulic, N., Skopek, J., & Blossfeld, H.-P. (2016). Secondary school systems and inequality of educational opportunity in contemporary societies. In Models of Secondary Education and Social Inequality (pp. 3–24). Edward Elgar. doi.org/10.4337/9781785367267.00008
   
8. National Skills Commission. (2021). State of Australia’s Skills 2021: now and into the future. National Skills Commission. www.jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/2021%20State%20of%20Australia%27s%20Skills_0.pdf
   
9. Nguyen-Robertson, C., & Iacono, G. (2024, July 4). Building Scientific Competency in University Education. Science Victoria. rsv.org.au/science-competency-universities
   
10. Nguyen-Robertson, C. (2024, July 4). Aiming Higher: Improving Science Education in Victorian Schools. Science Victoria. rsv.org.au/aiming-higher

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